Serendipity
by DoomedSometimes
Summary: Serendipity (n.) finding something good without looking for it. Short stories of Norma and Alex just being Norma and Alex. "When love finds you, you can't ignore it."
1. Home

**A/N:** **So I thought of writing some short moments.** **They will not be in any chronological order or will not necessarily be related to one another. They will be Normero in different scenarios, some domestic, some they may not be together yet, etc. This first chapter consists of three different short stories. Just let me know if you like the idea and if you'd like to see more of these shorter scenes. Thanks for all your lovely reviews on the last chapter of "Milagro". As always, thanks for reading.**

* * *

 _Something new…_

Being naked with another human being is not unfamiliar for any of them. They've both have unveiled their bodies to other people before; they've had sex with somebody else that is not one another. They're in their forties, they have had experiences.

There have been plenty of kisses and a fair amount of sexual encounters; some of them good and some others bad. There have been other men and other women before they each met their current partner, the one they're sharing the bed with right now. She has been used, taken and discarded. He has enjoyed other bodies. She has been hurt; he has sought release. Her past have been inhabited by men who were selfish and insensitive and far too arrogant and sometimes rough. The women from his past have been willing bodies and blurred faces; aside from a young wife who he never truly loved, for her sake he tried his best to end things without being a total jerk to her, although he really didn't succeed at that. There were also some women friends along the way who were a little bit more than "just friends."

But now, there are things that are new to them both: their shared moments of passion, the intent to put the other's needs before their own, the baring of souls; all that is new. Norma felt like it was her first time again when she slept with him. Or what she imagined a beautiful first time should be, not what she had. She wasn't nervous or scared with Alex, but she felt excited, and desired and wanted, and above all, cherished. She knew from that very first night they spent together that she was much more than just a warm body to him; she knew when she held him close to her heart that she would never be able to let him go.

It is not their sexual encounter, but they're experiencing new things. They're husband and wife, lovers, and friends. For the first time in her life Norma can say she's an equal in a relationship. She feels they're partners, not only sexual but in the complete sense of the word, standing on equal ground. She takes as good as she gives.

Alex shifts a little on the bed and looks to his right side where she is laying on her stomach, her head cradled in her arms. She must have turned around in her sleep because he distinctively remembers falling asleep with her in his arms. He reaches for her, softly moving his hand down her naked back and she stirs. He does it again upwards this time, and she moves to her side, her back to him. He smiles.

They're both nude under the covers. Their deeds last night leaving both of them exhausted and satisfied. He smiles again at the memory. Alex gently pulls at the sheet that is covering her until he can see the curve of her naked hip, and then he tugs a little more until the white sheet falls completely from her leaving her body in complete view.

He stops touching and just looks. He admires her elegant neck and strong shoulders, the feminine line of her back, the space where he likes to put his hands whenever he hugs her, the perfect curve of her backside, her shapely long legs.

"Stop staring at my ass."

He hears her and chuckles. So she's awake.

"Well, then turn around so I can look at your face."

And she does, leaving him breathless in a second, because it doesn't matter how many times he has seen her nude, her beauty will always surprise and excite him.

"Good morning, love." He says while reaching for her and she smiles.

* * *

 _An unusual gift…_

"Alex!" Norma calls as soon as she enters the house through the front door.

"What happened?" Alex appears at the end of the hallway and upon seeing him Norma starts walking towards him. She kisses him lightly on the lips and he helps her put her grocery bags on the kitchen table.

"Sorry it took me so long." She apologizes while they get the contents out of the bags.

"Don't worry. I just got home 10 minutes go. Haven't even started to do what you asked." He explains as Norma looks at the empty countertop.

"It's ok. I got the vegetables here. Can you help me with the meat?"

"Sure."

"And don't look into the bookstore bag!" Norma yells as he was about to unload that particular bag.

"You want me to put it somewhere?" He eyes the bookstore shopping bag suspiciously.

"Just put it in the living room. But no peeking!"

After a short while they have cooked and eaten their meal. Norma insists on teaching Alex some basic kitchen survival tips, as she calls them. So far she has only managed to teach him how to use the meat tenderizer on the meat and to boil pasta, but for a man who used to eat only frozen meals she counts that as a gain.

They settle in the living room to unwind and Norma reaches for the bookstore tote bag as they sit on the sofa.

"So, I got you a gift!" She mentions excitedly to Alex's surprise. He had forgotten the existence of said bag a long time ago.

"Oh. What's the occasion?"

"Your birthday." She answers matter of fact.

"But, my birthday isn't on for two more months."

"That's the plan. So you have time to think and write."

"Write?" He asks as she reaches into the bag and produces a book.

"I got you a sex book."

"A… what?"

At his bewildered expression, she clarifies. "It's a funny sex book. Look, it has spaces for you to write any wish you have. It includes thoughtful ideas, simple gestures, sex checks…" She explains showing him the pages of the book. Alex is smiling despite not understanding why she got something like that.

"You can cash in those checks, you know?" She notes with a glimmer in her eye.

"There is a fair amount of naughty stuff as well." Alex responds as he starts reading some of the contents of the book, his hands turning on the pages intrigued. He's finding Norma's idea funnier and more interesting by the minute.

"Now you're paying attention." Norma winks at him. "It comes with two stacks of cards: an _I owe you_ and a _You owe me_ one. That way we can write stuff down and then we can play them out."

Alex looks at her face. She's like a kid sometimes and others she's an impish woman. Alex loves how Norma likes to tease him and play, but he never imagined in a million years she would come up with something like this. He's going to have to up the ante next time he gives her a present.

"So, this is a birthday gift." He comments.

"Yes."

"And do I have to wait for my birthday to get any gift at all?"

"Of course not, silly. We're not even going to wait until your birthday. We can start using those wishes right now." She wiggles her eyebrows at him.

"Ok. I want this one now then." Alex shows her something on the page.

"Mmm, that's a good one, Sheriff."

She takes the book off his hand, throws it on the floor, and straddles him. She swallows his laughter in a fiery kiss. His hands settle on her hips as she sits on his thighs, rocking back and forth against him slowly.

"You're gonna be the death of me, Norma."

"But you'll love every second of it."

* * *

 _Sweet dreams…_

Alex had a terrible day at work. He came home so disturbed and absent minded that Norma was terribly worried. She knows his job is difficult sometimes but seeing him so withdrawn today when he arrived home scared her.

"Alex?" She finds him seating on the bed, his socks still in his hands. He started to undress but haven't finished, he seems lost in though.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"I just said your name." She comes closer to him and runs her hand through his hair. He leans into her caress. "I'm going to run you a bath, I think you need to relax…"

"No, don't worry about it. I'll take a shower and go to bed."

"Trust me. A bath will do you good. I won't take no for an answer."

He sighs as she leaves the bedroom knowing there is no point in fighting her about it. Once Norma gets an idea it won't leave her brain. He might as well take the damn bath.

Norma filled the bathtub, lighted some scented candles, and left him soaking in a salts and aromatherapy bath that he protested about but got in anyway.

25 minutes later she enters the bathroom and finds him with his eyes closed, head resting against the tub, breathing evenly.

"Are you asleep?" She whispers so as not to wake him in case he is.

"No." He opens his eyes and takes a look at her.

"How are you feeling?"

He is touched by her concern.

"Much better. Thank you."

She smiles softly knowing some of the stress has left his body already. A good bath will do that to you. She then takes off her blue satin robe and hangs it on the hook behind the door. He's watching her intently. She puts her hands underneath her short nightie and slowly takes off her underwear. His breathing is already changing; she can tell by the way his chest expands as he inhales.

Norma gets in the tub, still wearing her satin nightie, and sits on top of his thighs, Alex quickly positioning his legs as to give her a little bit more space. Their bodies making intimate contact as soon as she settles. His hands go around her waist.

She takes a sponge from the bathtub rack and submerges it into the bathwater. He is mesmerized by her movements, slow and steady, as she soaks the sponge and then squeezes it into his chest, his arms, his shoulders, over and over. She's bathing him, she's calming him, she's also exciting him and she must know it. He's hypnotized.

"What is this smell?" Alex asks and his voice is two octaves lower already.

"Lavender."

"I like it."

"It relaxes you. You'll have a good sleep, you'll see."

But he's not thinking about sleep right now. He's looking at how her white nightie has been soaked by the water too, how her nipples are showing and straining against the flimsy fabric. He can feel the water, he can feel _her_.

"Baby, I… I need you." He croaks in a low grunt, his hands massaging her ass through the wet cloth.

She kisses his forehead.

"I'll do all the work. This is for you."

Norma guides him into her and then sets a slow rhythm against him. She wants to take it slow, and right now that's all he is up for. He lets her set the pace, he lets her love him, and he lets her save him.

He spills inside her with a loud groan, digging his fingers into her hips. She keeps rocking on top of him, pressing her center into his pelvic bone, and he watches her. When she finishes with a long moan escaping her lips she stumbles onto his chest. Both hugging tightly one another, breathing each other in. They'll both sleep well tonight. No nightmares allowed.

* * *

 **TBC...?**


	2. Time

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! Since you all liked the first chapter and asked for more, here is another installment. I can't tell you how much your words mean to me; especially those posted as guest, even though I can't reply to you your words are truly appreciated. I hope you all like this one too.**

* * *

 _Past…_

'I think you're beautiful.'

His words kept echoing in her ears even though he uttered them a few days ago. The day he got drunk and unable to drive called her to pick him up as a favor. The day she put him in one of the motel rooms so he could sleep off the state of drunkenness she has never witnessed from him before.

She heard him say those words the same day she later had the whole family, including dear sweet Emma and Alex of course, for dinner. That evening the house was full of laughter and conversation, seemingly happy people enjoying a nice dinner. She was so happy to finally being able to live her childhood dream of having a home; filled with friends and family around the table, eating the food she prepared.

And then there was Alex. Alex asking her where to sit, Alex raising his glass of wine at her, Alex thanking her profusely for everything she had done for him that day. Alex holding onto her with his free good arm when she hugged him on her balcony before he left. Alex who insisted that he would take a cab and not letting her drive him home. She missed him as soon as he walked down the stairs outside.

Now, as she folds Norman's t-shirts she can only think of Alex. He's the only man in her life that it is not technically in her life but somehow is always around and being a part of it nevertheless. He's not her boyfriend or her husband. Sometimes he's a friend, sometimes he's a cop, but he's the man who has helped her countless times already.

'I think you're beautiful.'

Norma smiles fondly now at remembering his face when he said that. She teased him about being drunk. They both laughed softly. But she already knew that he thought of her as attractive. It was just a matter of time before he said it. She has sensed it for a while now that he was not entirely immune to her. Call it a sixth sense or woman's intuition, but she knew. She's used to be noticed by men. What she didn't know what that he was so close to admitting it to her.

Maybe the alcohol gave him the last bit of courage to do so, or maybe the feelings of vulnerability after having learned the truth about the money ledger spurred him on. He was so sad when he told her about his mother's name being on the document. She learned that day that he blamed his father for his mother's death, maybe even blames himself. He tried to disguise it with an empty chuckle but she knew better. After all, she was an expert at laughing through the pain, and she saw right through his sadness, his anger, and his hurt.

He tried to kiss her and she deftly stopped his advances. It's not that she didn't want to be kissed by him but that she thought it wasn't appropriate for them at the moment, with him being drunk anyway. If Alex kisses her one day she wants him to be fully conscious of his actions and not getting his bravado from whiskey.

'If Alex kisses her one day.'

Norma shakes her head and raises her eyebrows trying to clear her thoughts. She's also biting her lip at the thought of kissing him, and when she catches herself in the subconscious act, a sudden blush colors her cheeks.

If she is going to be honest with herself, she's not entirely immune to him either. He's a handsome man and she's not blind. He's also strong, brave, and no-nonsense. He has an important job in town, wears a uniform, and has beautiful eyes… "Stop it, Norma!" She admonishes herself out loud.

As much as she would like to fantasize and think she could ever be the object of his affection, she also knows she's never been lucky in love and the thought alone makes her incredibly sad. She doesn't want to lose whatever she has with Alex now in exchange for a one-night stand with him. She cares too much about him.

She finishes folding the t-shirts and starts walking up the stairs to bring them to her son's bedroom.

Maybe someday, she thinks. When he's not drunk, and she's not unlucky, and they're both in different circumstances, or living another life.

"Maybe someday." She whispers to herself.

* * *

 _Future…_

"Remember when we met?"

"Of course. My heart stopped."

"Mine did too."

"It did not."

"It did!"

"Why? I was the one scared shitless. I thought you were gonna arrest me."

"No, I missed that chance."

"Yeah, so you told me. But why did your heart stop then?"

"Because I thought you were too damn beautiful."

"You did not."

He raises his arms in defeat.

"How do you know what I thought?"

"You did not think I was beautiful that night."

"Fine. I just thought you had a really nice ass."

She throws a pillow at him and he laughs.

"No, but really. Remember when we met?"

"Yes, Alex. I remember. It was not that long ago."

"And did you ever think we would be where we are now?"

"Not in a million years, no."

They look deeply into each other's eyes.

"Are you happy?"

"I'm extremely happy, Norma. Are you?"

"You have made me the happiest woman on earth, Alex Romero."

"Happy anniversary, my love."

"Happy anniversary."

They start kissing until they get interrupted by someone's presence in the living room.

"Oh my god, you two. Stop it!"

They stop their kiss but keep their arms around each other, and then start laughing as they look at their teenage daughter's disgusted face. She ends up laughing with them too.

* * *

 _Present…_

Life is full of jokes, Norma thinks. Some are funny, others are downright cruel. Her life has had less of the former than the latter. She has cried so many times at the injustices in her existence that she simply stopped counting.

She has been hurt before. She had fallen, gotten up and started again many times. She had wished for better days ahead but she never thought it possible. A life in which she was not tied to an abusive asshole of a husband. A future in which her older son loved her and her younger one was healthy.

Some of those dreams became true. Some of them just visited for a little while so she could get accustomed to the idea of their possibility and then left, laughing in her face at her audacity of ever having dreamt them.

She licked her wounds and counted her victories like she always did. She picked herself up again, screamed to the seventh heavens that she will keep fighting, painfully accepted that her son was sick, and slowly started learning to live a life that didn't revolve around him and only him.

She never gave a second thought at how much things can change in a month. But the last 30 days of her life had been a lesson in 'you never know what the future might hold' if she ever saw one. For starters, a month ago she was not married to Alexander Romero.

She never believed in fairy tales or in the knight in shining armor that rescues the princess from all her mundane problems. She has never had somebody stand next to her and fight along with her. But then Norman got sick, she got desperate, and she and Alex got married.

Today she looks at him, asleep on her bed, the morning sun outside their only witness and she wants to know it all. She wants to learn everything about him she doesn't know yet. She wants knowledge of where and how he got every scar, every wrinkle, and every callus on his hands.

Norma starts kissing him slowly and fleetingly, trying to rouse him from his sleep. A kiss on his cheek, on his jaw, on his eyelashes, and he stirs. She presses a kiss on his chest, right above where his skin tells the story of a fairly recent shot wound. She shivers now thinking that she could've lost him even before she had him.

He makes an appreciative sound low in his throat and his hands stop being motionless beside him and circle around her, keeping her close.

"Alex…"

"Mmm?"

"Where you got this scar?"

She's kissing his neck now. He's becoming more cognizant.

"What?"

"This scar. Where you got it?" She asks while kissing his right shoulder.

He's fully awake now. The feel of her kisses and her naked skin pressed to his achieving what only caffeine or a rush of adrenaline can. Full on alert, five senses engaged, ready for anything.

"A bar fight. Guy slashed me with a broken glass."

"I hate him." Norma states and he grins.

"Don't worry. I broke his nose in return."

"That's my guy." Kiss.

"I'm sorry you got shot." She says sadly as she traces the scar left by the enemy bullet on the left side of his chest, right above his heart.

"That's ok. Job hazard."

"I don't want you to ever get shot again."

"OK, I'll try not to."

"Thanks."

She's been kissing him non-stop, running her hands through his chest hair, making his breathing come in shallow pants.

"Have you ever broken a bone?" She suddenly asks him.

"No. Have you?"

She quickly tenses in his arms and he mentally kicks himself for having asked that. He's been slowly learning of her past; she has been opening more and more, letting her defenses down. She's been telling him, at her own time, her darkest secrets. He doesn't ever want to bring up past traumas. If he could just protect her from her past memories, he would do that too.

Moments that he now knows are humiliating for her but whatever she considers a dark black spot in her past is only a minor foible for him. Nothing she has ever done or been done to will ever be a fault of character for him. She is his bright unmarred star.

"No." She states truthfully.

"Good." He kisses the crown of her head and hugs her more tightly to him.

She manages to place her body fully on top of him. She finally kisses his lips and he welcomes the kiss, humming and holding her by the neck. She's moving on him, rubbing and teasing.

When she thinks she has the upper hand in this morning seduction, he flips them until he's the one on top of her.

"What's up with your questions about scars today?"

"I just want to know where all your scars came from."

"Does this have anything to do with you telling me about the scar on your thigh the other day?"

She stops kissing him.

"Maybe." She bites her lip nervously.

"I'll tell you all you want to know about my scars with one condition."

She takes a deep breath, trying to get ready for whatever question might come next. "Okay."

"You let me kiss all your beauty marks."

He doesn't let her respond. She's somewhat speechless anyway. She doesn't have much time to think either because Alex is currently kissing every tiny light freckle on her skin, every single birthmark he can find along her cheeks, neck and collarbone.

He kisses the dark brown beauty mark below her left breast. She gasps. His hands hold her ribs while he kisses another near her navel. He applies pressure on her waist until she takes the hint and turns on her side so he can keep kissing along her lower back. Alex kisses three light brown spots on her right forearm, and the big one in the middle of her back.

She's losing count of the kisses and she's suddenly losing her memory too. She can't even remember her own moles. Does she even has that many? For a second she thinks he's making it all up, until she feels him making his way lower, below where the white sheet is covering her lower body. When he finds what he's looking for, he tugs the sheet away, and places first one, then a second kiss on her buttocks.

"It's my luck your butt has two beauty marks on it. It is a thing of beauty after all."

She laughs and turns around. He then kisses the scar on her thigh. Not one kiss like he did when she told him what had happened to her that day, but many kisses along the length of the jagged skin. She feels a sob catching in her throat and puts her hand on her mouth trying to keep it in. He hears her though, his senses attuned to every little sound she makes. When he looks up from her thigh he sees she's crying, soft tears running down her pale face. She covers her face with her hands.

He moves up her body, until he's face to face with her, on top of her without crushing her. He gently peels her hands away from her face. She looks at him with such love and gratitude he can barely take it.

"What is it?" He asks softly.

"You said you were kissing my beauty marks…"

"Every single thing on your body is beautiful. Even the scar… You're beautiful to me, Norma. All of you."

More tears flow out of the corners of her impossibly shiny blue eyes.

She puts her hands on his face and kisses him. They get lost in the kiss for long moments. Eventually she stops crying, sighing happily instead. Their bodies have started the dance they know so well by now.

"Our scars are beautiful, then?" She asks.

"Our scars and beauty marks."

She laughs fully and throatily, and kisses him again. She feels him pressing insistently against her until he finds his way inside of her and she relaxes completely in his arms, feeling loved and beautiful. She got the last laugh after all.

* * *

 **TBC…**


	3. Seasons

**A/N: Here you go my darlings! I wrote this one quickly because I didn't want to leave you without an update today. Hope you like it. Enjoy it.**

* * *

 _Winter…_

The wind makes a whooshing sound against the windows. The sky outside is dark. The weather today has been cold and uninviting. Alex is grateful his work day ended punctually at 5pm and he could rush home to be with Norma.

All day long he longed to be with her, in the safe haven of their home, in her presence and in her arms. He thinks most people in town must be either at work or in their houses, trying to escape the rain, the wind, and the wet streets. It was a very calm day; no arrests, no traffic mishaps (miraculously), no impending tragedies to deal with.

So he was free to leave as the same time as the daytime staff, a rare occurrence with his position, and letting the late afternoon employees to call him if there was an emergency. He silently prayed to a God he was not sure he believed in that there not any, and that he could spend the early evening with his wife without his phone calling him back for duty.

She was elated when he arrived home early. She had just started making dinner and enjoyed having him around the kitchen helping her with the preparations, or trying to help anyway.

"Alex, you have to cut the onion sideways, not in pieces." She had lovingly admonished him.

"They taste the same however you cut them, don't they?" He teased her, knowing fully that she had very particular ways of doing the cooking.

She came closer to him, held his hand firmly in hers, and taught him how to properly cut the aforementioned onion. He smiled at her teaching ways, how her voice turned softer and lower, like explaining something to a child.

"… and then after you have the rings, you peel whatever skin there's still left." But he only caught the last part of whatever she was saying, because he was distracted by her form but smaller hands on him, by her close proximity, by her perfume and her hair so close to his face.

"Can you do the next one by yourself?" She had asked and because she had stopped moving her hands on top of his, he could tell the lesson was over, and that he still had no idea how to cut an onion. Somehow he managed; she fixed whatever was not to her personal liking, and cooked the most delicious meal in less than an hour.

Now, after eating and doing the dishes, they're seating on the sofa, in front of the giant TV in the living room. He's seating, with his feet propped up on the ottoman he brought from his own house, explaining to her that he needed somewhere to put his feet up after a long day at work and he didn't want to do that on her coffee table.

"Alex, you can bring whatever you want. I don't mind, this is your house too." Was all she said about the newest addition to the living room furniture.

She, however, is reclining against him, her legs bent and tucked under her. His arm around her providing the perfect support for the sideways hug she seems to be giving him. Her head is resting against his shoulder. He thinks she might be uncomfortable, but she's not showing any signs to prove his theory.

As if hearing his thoughts, she moves against him, flushing her upper body to his side, purring in his ear. Her arm across his midsection hugs him tighter. His arm around her shoulder does the same. He also places a kiss on top of her crown of blond curls.

"You okay? You want anything?" He offers.

"Hmmm, I could use a nap." She says trying to stifle a yawn and he chuckles softly.

"Then sleep."

"Okay."

Twenty minutes later she's still asleep, and so is Alex's arm. Reluctantly and loathe to wake her he moves his arm from around her and luckily she keeps sleeping. He carefully places her head on the sofa cushion, tucking the blanket more firmly around her shoulders, and kisses her cheek.

He comes back from the kitchen with two mugs in his hands. Putting them on the table, he strokes her hair, runs a finger down her cheek and jaw, tracing her fine bones. He takes her chin between her thumb and index finger and lightly moves her face towards him, kissing her lips softly. She stirs at the contact.

"Wake up, sleepy head."

Norma opens her eyes and smiles dreamily at him.

"Hey." She speaks seating up.

Alex brings the mugs with him when he sits next to her, Norma making space for him and arranging the blanket around her.

"I made you cocoa." He offers her the hot beverage.

"Thank you."

They drink in silence, enjoying the warmth the beverage brings to their bodies. Still holding onto the mug with her right hand, she searches with her left for his one free hand and holds it, lacing their fingers together.

"I love this."

Alex looks at her, and can see the shine in her eyes, the simple joy in her easy smile. He's proud and content in knowing he put that look on her face; that even though he has seen her cry in agony, in despair and sadness, she is happy now. At least for this one moment. He smiles back at her.

"I love this too."

* * *

 _Spring…_

Alex comes downstairs looking for Norma and he doesn't find her in the living room, or the laundry room, or even at the kitchen. He tries to remember if she said anything about an errand to run, or needing to buy groceries and a hair appointment. They usually like to spend their Saturdays together but he also knows she has things to do, and sometimes she does them on Saturdays.

His thoughts are interrupted when he suddenly hears her voice. She's singing, and it's coming from outside. He goes out the back door in the kitchen, turning around by the shed, following the melody she's producing.

He finally sees her kneeling in the garden next to the house, gloves in hands, tending to some flowers that have bloomed. At least he doesn't remember seeing them, but he never has paid much attention to these things. He, however, knows that Norma loves flowers and so this must be a happy morning for her.

She looks like a flower herself with her blond hair, a sunflower turning to the sun shining on her, in her pink and blue flowers dress. He never met a woman who loved to dress in floral patterns as much as Norma does. Before knowing her, he thought of flowers as something only small girls would wear. Now, as he looks and admires her, her dress cinching her small waist, and hugging her womanly curves in all the right places, he thinks how clearly mistaken his theory was. Leave it to Norma to show him that floral dresses can be sexy too.

"Good morning." He greets her, letting his presence known to her.

"Good morning! You're awake!" She states the obvious, but her smile is so bright, like the sun itself he thinks, that he smiles at her over enthusiastic greeting.

"Yeah, I am. You didn't wake me?"

"You were home so late last night; I wanted to let you rest. I'll make your breakfast." She rises and takes her gloves off, holding on to them in one hand and walks until she's in front of him. He quickly gathers her in his arms.

"You were singing. I love to hear you sing." His smile is small, almost imperceptible to anyone who doesn't know his face as well as she does. But Norma knows he's smiling, his eyes tell her so.

"Yeah. The flowers bloomed today." She explains looking back at where the peonies and roses are, in all their pink glory.

So he was right. The flowers are new.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy."

She leans in and kisses him first. His arms go around her, first her back, then her hips, and finally land on his favorite spot. Her lips are feasting on his, gently sucking and licking, and soon the kiss turns wild, her tongue enters his mouth and he groans. His hands tighten their grip on her ass.

When they part their breathing is shallow and the atmosphere is thick. Their want for each other is unmistakable in the way she licks her own lips and he groans low in his throat when he sees her doing it.

"Are you done with your flowers?" He asks in a low voice.

"Yes, why?" She answers in a barely whisper.

He bends down and to her surprise, scoops her up in his arms, bridal style. She laughs and squeals and drops her gloves on the ground, and grabs onto his neck for dear life.

The flowers and breakfast can wait. They have more important things to attend to now.

* * *

 _Summer…_

The motel was at half-full capacity. Norma was working day and night. Between attending the office and cleaning the rooms, she was busy every day the entire day. Alex was happy this was the case; it gave Norma something to do during the days and she was not alone in the house all day. He also knew she liked being independent and having work to do. But he also hated that she was tired, even though when she said she was not.

He suggested they hire someone to help, since Emma had moved out of town with Dylan, and Norma had no one to help her during these weeks when the motel was actually a lot of work. But she said she could do it all by herself. Nobody ever said that woman was not stubborn.

But today was especially hot, and the guests have all gone to the river, or to wherever people go around here, Alex thought.

"Norma, please. Come on, you can get away from one hour or two. There's no one here right now." Alex pleaded with her.

"But what if someone comes, or a guest needs something?" She replied.

"Ok, how about this? You leave a note on the door, with your phone number, saying you'll be back soon and if anyone needs anything, they can call you."

He sees her pondering the answer, biting her lip doubting if it's a good idea or not.

"But we don't go too far away. In case I get a call."

"Deal."

The call came later but to Alex's cell phone. They were already driving to the outskirts of town when his phone rang; they needed him by the bay, to oversee an important part of an investigation. Luckily he could just go and be done with it in half an hour, so he drove with Norma still in his SUV.

He then left her by the dock, while he assured her he'll be back soon. She was not alone, being summer it meant there people around, boarding and getting out of their boats.

"I'll be fine. Go! They need the Big Daddy of White Pine Bay." She doesn't waste the opportunity to tease him with one of her nicknames for him, the one that happens to be his least least favorite too. He gives her a stern look, which only makes her laugh more.

He went about to do his sheriff duties and when he came back, he had to look for her since she wasn't where he left her. Then at a distance he spots the blond hair and the pale blue dress.

Alex finds her seating in the dock, her shoes next to her and dipping her feet into the water. She's so relaxed it reminds him of their trip to the Caribbean back in winter.

"What are you doing?"

"Remembering when we were at Milagro beach." She admits.

"It's funny but I was thinking about the same thing."

"Mmm. I'm also cooling my feet. It's too damn hot. Climate change is real." She says dramatically shaking her head trying to move her hair away from her face. She runs a hand down the back of her neck, lifting her hair away from it, and Alex is transfixed by the length and elegance of her exposed neck.

He clears his throat before speaking.

"Except down there we were wearing fewer clothes. _You_ were wearing much less."

"We were at the beach." She gives him a knowing smile, looking up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.

"Are you ready?"

She moves to put her shoes back on and then extends her hand for him to help her to her feet.

"Yes. Now, where is the gigantic ice cream sundae you promised me?"

"Come on, Mrs. Sheriff. I'll set you up."

She did eat a gigantic ice cream. No guests called her phone. They came back to the house. Alex jumped in the shower and Norma made iced tea. He was drinking it in bed, lethargic from the summer heat when she went to take a shower herself.

She comes back into the bedroom wearing only a white tank top and small white cotton panties. She flops onto the bed next to him, stretching her long legs and her arms above her head, the fabric of her top straining against her breasts.

"I've never seen you wear that to bed." Alex mentions.

"I've never spent a summer night here with you."

"Did you always wear stuff like that? I mean, before? The previous summers?" He's trying to find words but he can't stop looking at her body.

"Yes, Alex. Satin nightgowns are fine for any weather, except summer, especially when is this hot."

She's playing with him. He takes a sip of the iced tea since his throat has suddenly gone dry. She's enjoying this too much.

"So, uhm…is it too hot for sex?" He asks after putting the glass back in the end table.

She runs her eyes from his face, down to his naked chest, to his shorts where she can see him already hard, to his strong legs, as if pondering what to do next. She gives him a predatory look, rises up and straddles him. His hands going automatically to her hips.

"It's never too hot for sex."

* * *

 _Fall…_

Alex goes to the kitchen where Norma is finishing tidying up the kitchen.

"You can come out now." He tells her.

"Oh? I can finally come outside? I feel like I was on house arrest." Norma hisses sarcastically.

He sighs. Three hours ago he told her to not come to the front of the house, explaining he was doing some repairs in the front door that should've been done a long time ago and she could be harmed by the construction outside.

She was touched he wanted to fix the creaking on the door, since the sound had annoyed her for the past couple weeks, but was not entirely happy not being able to use the front door, or go around the house as Alex instructed her. Not that she needed to, but the mere thought of having been told not to do anything, was making her wanting to do it, and that made for a very frustrated Norma.

"Norma? I said you can come to the foyer now. There's something I want to show you."

"Pfft. What? You want me to swoon over the fact you fixed the door?" She snaps back at him.

He walks over to where she's furiously wiping the counter, lightly grabbing her elbows and stopping her movements, just like he did the first day of their marriage.

"Come on. I got something for you." He speaks so softly she's not sure of what she heard.

Walking next to him, her hand in his, as he gently directs her down the hallway, then across the foyer, until he opens the front door and she doesn't hear the creaking sound anymore.

"That's nice. Thank you." Her anger has already calmed down a little.

But then he gently pushes her farther out and she's somewhat confused but he smiles at her, and she trusts him completely. Then they're out in the balcony and he points towards the right corner of it where she sees a brand new swing seat.

She gasps in surprise, her mouth forming a perfect o and her eyes wide as blue plates.

"What…? How did you?" She looks back and forth from Alex's face to the small love seat that hangs from a swing.

"I … just followed the instructions." He shrugs as if he hadn't done the most amazing thing in her eyes.

"Alex…" His name a whisper on her lips.

"Come on!" He moves inviting her to seat on the pretty green swing. She does and he puts his arm around her waist, holding her to him.

"This is beautiful! Thank you." She still sounds speechless, as if no one ever had given her a simple surprise gift. Maybe no one has, Alex thinks.

"You're welcome."

After a while, they're swinging back and forth on the seat, Norma's sedated sighs against his neck, where she has rested her face.

"I thought we could enjoy the nice weather here, on the afternoons when I come home, and on weekends. I know you like to hear the birds and look at the trees. Do you like it?"

"I love it." She raises her head from his neck and looks deep into his brown mahogany eyes and they kiss.

They moved from the swing set to the bed. They didn't think the swing set would hold while they gave in to their more carnal desires, and they didn't want to put it to the test.

By the time they reached their bedroom, their kisses had left them in a passionate fever, clear thoughts were an impossibility. Only touch and sound and need and want were present.

Alex kneeled in front of her, caressing her legs until his hands disappeared under her skirt, only to reappear when they dragged her panties down. He tossed them to the other side of the room and she unzipped her skirt, letting it fall to the floor. He lifted her leg, wrapping it over his shoulder, opening her to him and burying his face between her legs.

She screamed at the sudden contact but held on, hands on his hair and shoulders; anywhere she could grasp while he worked her with his tongue and fingers to a delirious frenzy. She looked up once, and saw her image in her full length mirror; saw her flushed face contorted in something close to pain, but she knew it was not pain but intense pleasure rocking through her entire body. She saw his black hair, the back of his head, moving unrelenting against her, and she was transfixed by the image they made.

She came. Long and hard and beautiful and soul shattering. She may have tumbled to the floor, but she doesn't remember that. He probably caught her anyway. She remembers he carried her to their bed.

She remembers him taking off her shirt and her bra. She remembers him, a minute later, climbing next to her. He was naked too.

And then he was everywhere again; on top of her, inside of her. In her heart, in her body, in her mind. Him repeating her name: "Norma, Norma, Jesus! Norma…" When he rocked, and pushed, and claimed, and loved her too.

They lay side to side. Arms and legs entwined. Their bodies are uncovered, naked, satiated. Skin marked, bruised, and sweaty. Hearts filled with something close to happiness.

"You didn't have to buy me that, you know?" Norma speaks softly. Her face is so close to his that even looking at him is hard. Her sight blurs for a moment.

"I wanted to."

"You're too good to me." She whispers and kisses him softly on the lips.

She snuggles even closer and he lets her, welcomes her.

"No. You're too good for me, Norma."

* * *

 **TBC…**


	4. Others

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews to the previous chapter! To the guests reviews, know I love them and treasure them even though I can't personally reply to them. It makes me really happy that you all like this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Happy Normero all the way! I hope you enjoy this one.**

* * *

 _Coffee date…_

' _What are you doing?_ ' Norma reads the text on her phone.

' _Just finished picking up our dry cleaning. Why?_ ' She texts him back.

' _Want to grab a cup of coffee?_ '

' _Sure. Where?_ '

' _Coffee shop on Main St. Close to the station?_ '

' _Be there in 10_.' Smiley face emoji.

Norma parks her Mercedes in a spot near the coffee shop and gets out. Alex is already waiting for her outside the café. He smiles when he sees her. She kisses him hello.

"You walked from the station?"

"Yes, it's only a five minutes' walk."

He opens the door for her and the smell of coffee grounds and pastry instantly fills their noses.

"I'm actually glad you texted me and invited me for coffee. I was getting sleepy already."

"Yeah, same. And it's only 2pm."

"That's what happens when you keep me awake almost the entire night." She whispers seductively in his ear and feels the tremor running through him at the mention of last night. Boy did they have fun. Of course today they're both paying for it with lack of sleep and the need for more caffeine than usual.

He looks at her with dark pupils and a knowing smile. She winks at him and goes to seat at their favorite table in this place; the one by the corner looking out the window.

Minutes later Alex brings a tray with his black coffee and her cappuccino.

"Here's your skim milk cappuccino. Why do you ask for skim milk if you're going to put all that foam and cinnamon on top? Doesn't it defeat the purpose of the skim milk?"

"Alex, why are you criticizing my coffee? I don't criticize how you take yours; black and no sugar? Ugh!" She shudders involuntarily just thinking about it. "Besides, cinnamon is very healthy, is good for the heart."

She takes a sip of her colorful drink and licks her lip where the white foam has stuck.

"Stop it."

"I'm not doing anything."

"You're licking your lips. You know what that does to me."

She rolls her eyes at him.

The waitress comes to the table with a small plate with a cupcake on it.

"Here you go, Sheriff."

"Thanks, Laura."

"Hi, Mrs. Bates."

"Hi." Norma replies smiling to the young woman. They're frequent visitors here, everyone knows them.

"They just finished decorating it. Enjoy it!"

"Thanks." They say in unison.

Norma looks at the cupcake, then at Alex.

"Red velvet?"

"Yes. I know you love it, and she mentioned they were finishing them so I ordered one."

"You spoil me too much."

She offers him the first bite of the cupcake, warning him not to eat the entire buttercream glaze on the top. He opens his mouth big enough to make her think he's about to do just that, and she screams loudly. He takes a small bite and hands her the cupcake back. They laugh like two teenagers in love and pay no attention to the other patrons or shop employees. They don't realize all of them are smiling at the cute couple the stoic Sheriff and his funny wife make.

They finish their snacks and Alex helps Norma put on her coat. They go outside.

"When are you getting home?"

"Probably around six o'clock."

"Okay, I'll have dinner ready."

She leans in for a quick kiss on the lips. Alex wraps his arms around her waist and brings her closer to him. Norma puts her arms around his neck and the kiss that started innocent and sweet turns ferocious and passionate in a second.

She breaks the kiss first.

"Easy there, too much PDA." She winks at him again.

She fixes the lapels of his leather jacket and wipes her lipstick off his lips with her fingers.

"See you at home. Thanks for the coffee."

"Thank you for coming over." He kisses her hand and waits until she's in her car and starts driving away to walk back to his office.

None of them saw the female figure behind the restaurant window across the street. The redhead woman was turning a shade as red as her hair. She saw them arrive and stayed spying on them for the duration of their coffee date. She was jealous of the pretty blond, who even though was a few years older than her, closer to Alex's age than her anyway, had managed to do what she never could. She made Alex smile and laugh like that. Rebecca finally accepted that she had lost.

* * *

 _Another woman…_

"And why do you have to go to this date again?" Norma asks a little annoyed as she folds the clean laundry on little piles on the bed.

"Norma, it's not a date. It's a business dinner. She's a reporter for the town newspaper and twice a year she wants to talk with me about what's going on in town; you know, get a sense of things; statistics of crimes, what the department is doing to stop them, etc. It's all a big long boring conversation. It's just work for me. And for her."

"How convenient is a woman who has to do it."

"She's the reporter assigned to do it. Listen, you don't have to worry about anything."

"I'm not worried about you."

"About what, then?"

"About her. I understand is her job and I don't mind you going out with her if you have to, but why it has to happen at night in a restaurant?"

"I don't know, babe. We used to meet at lunch but then both our cell phones wouldn't stop ringing and one day she suggested we do it over dinner, and we've been doing the interview at night ever since."

"How long has it been since the lunches changed to evening dinners?" Norma asks as she puts his neatly folded t-shirts and boxers in his drawer.

"A year or so." He dries his wet hair on a towel.

"Is she single?"

"I don't know. I've never asked." He starts putting on his dress shirt.

"She has a ring on? Does she have kids?"

"Not that I remember. And I don't care about her personal life, I never have."

"Ok. Get dressed. You're gonna be late."

"Are you a little jealous?" He smiles that half smile she loves.

She laughs. "No, I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not! I trust you, and I trust other women to do their jobs around you without getting the hots for you. But if any one of them puts one hand on my husband, I'll make sure they won't do it ever again."

He likes her possessive side. She's always been like that, ever since he met her. That particular side of her personality was not especially geared towards him but at her sons, and he saw it come into play countless times. Now that they are not around, all her need for controlling things, and for mothering and even sometimes showing a little jealousy, marking her territory, is entirely for him. She's still demanding at times, but she's so much softer and relaxed around him now too that he doesn't mind. He takes the bad with the good. That's the deal.

"I'll be home in two hours tops. Then we can go to the movies like we planned, ok?" He reminds her of their already planned evening since he didn't want to make her feel he was going out and leaving her behind. They made plans to meet after he's done with the interview.

"Yeah, okay."

He finishes getting dressed and she comes up in front of him to fix his tie for him.

"If I didn't know we were meeting later I'd say you look too handsome to go out without me."

"I do?"

"Uhum."

She kisses him softly on the lips, smells his aftershave, and caresses his freshly shaved soft cheeks.

"See you later."

"I wish I didn't have to do this. I'd rather stay with you, you know?" He laments.

"I know. But it's part of your job so quit whining and go. The sooner you're done with it the sooner we can meet afterwards."

"Okay." He kisses her one last time and heads out the door.

When Alex arrives at the restaurant, Melanie is already there. She motions her hand to get this attention and upon seeing her he walks to the table where she's already seated.

"Hi, Alex!"

"Hello, Melanie. How are you?" He shakes her hand politely.

"Good, good, thanks. Do you want anything to drink?"

"No, thank you. Just water for me."

The waiter comes and gets their order. Alex listens to Melanie's conversation for a few minutes and then looks around the table and asks her if she can start the interview. She takes her notes and personal recorder out from her purse and begins asking questions.

After an hour of going over the budget cuts of White Pine Bay's Sheriff Department, and the latest gossip in criminal activities, Melanie starts talking about sports and boats.

Alex looks at her and for the first time since he arrived, he notices her outfit, which is revealing far more cleavage than in the past. Her makeup is also more accentuated. He takes a furtive peek at her hand and sees no ring. Oh no, was Norma right all along?

After a while, and having finished their food and seeing she is no longer asking job related questions, he clears his throat.

"Uh, do you have anything else to ask me? About the police department I mean?"

She laughs nervously.

"Well, Alex. You don't have to be so impatient. I thought we could talk as friends for a little while."

"Except we're not friends." He blurts out seriously and her laugh dissipates.

"We've known each other for a long time, and I thought since we spent so much time together doing these interviews…" She tries to explain.

He cuts her off. She actually reminds him of that time Norma went to his office, not long after they've met, and tried to flirt with him. He saw through her act then just as he's seeing through Melanie's now.

"You don't know me in any other capacity other than as your Sheriff, and you're the town police beat reporter, and that's where our acquaintances end. I've been doing these interviews because is part of our jobs to do them and because I know the editor of the newspaper too, we went to the same high school, so I want to play nice. Other than that, this is strictly business between you and me. And for the record, I'm married, happily married." Alex boasts with his best serious face and he's actually aware of the fear now present in Melanie's face.

"Please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I just thought maybe we could be friends. But please, don't tell anything to my editor. I promise it won't happen again." She begs him.

He nods at her. "I won't say anything to her, I promise. If you promise that our conversations from now on will be strictly about my job and nothing else."

"Yes, yes, I promise. I'm really sorry, Alex."

He glances at his watch and realizes it's already two hours since he's been here. Norma must be waiting for him back home.

"I have to go. I promised to take my wife to the movies."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for the interview. I got lots of good information."

Then just as Alex is about to stand up from the table the front door of the restaurant opens. Since they're in one of the nearby tables they can clearly see the woman who's making a rather dramatic entrance, taking off her coat to reveal a sexy black dress that punctuates every curve on her body. She takes a look around and heads to the bar, where she sits with her back to Alex's table.

"Wow! That's a really beautiful woman." Melanie exclaims much to Alex's surprise. Not because she's wrong but because is not every day you hear a woman complimenting another. And she did it without an ounce of sarcasm or envy in her voice.

"Yes, she is." Alex clears his throat. "Okay, I'm leaving now. Let me…" He begins as he takes out his wallet but Melanie stops him.

"No, you know the newspaper pays for everything. Really, there's no need."

"Goodnight, Melanie."

"Bye, Alex."

But instead of getting out of the restaurant, Alex finds his way to the bar and sits down on the empty stool next to the elegant blonde.

"Alone?"

"Yes, but I should warn you. I'm waiting for my husband and he's a cop."

"Then he should arrest you for wearing that dress in public."

"Oh, really?" She smiles and turns her head to look directly at him. She can see the way he's looking at the hem of her skirt that had ridden up to mid-thigh and at her neckline that's dangerously low.

"Come on, Norma. Let's go home." He stands up and takes her coat to help her into it.

"I thought you were taking me to the movies." She pouts at him.

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go, baby."

She eases her arms into the sleeves of her coat and he leads her with a hand on the small of her back. They run into Melanie at the restaurant door.

"Hi." The young woman greets them shyly.

"Norma, this is Melanie, the reporter I was meeting with. Melanie, this is my wife Norma."

"Nice to meet you." Norma smiles pleasantly at her before they head out the restaurant into the nice evening.

"You're a mean woman, you know that?"

"Why? What did I do?" She feigns innocence.

"Oh you know what you did, arriving at the restaurant with perfect timing, and wearing that!" He motions towards her now covered dress.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She raises her eyebrow and smiles wickedly at him. He stops walking and faces her, blocking her path.

"I'm really glad you did. I missed you."

"Aww, you did? I think you had very good company with Melanie there? She's pretty and young."

"She may be but she doesn't hold a candle next to you. She said you are beautiful."

"She did?"

"Yeah, she also was flirting with me."

"Ha! I knew it!"

"Yeah, okay, so you were right. Big deal."

Her smug smile is taunting him so he kisses her, long and deep. He puts his hands on her ass now covered by the fabric of the coat and she moans into his mouth.

"God, Norma, do you really want to go watch a movie now?" He pants as they part from their kiss.

"No." She replies breathlessly against his parted lips.

He grabs her arm and starts walking to where he parked his SUV.

"Where's your car?"

"I took a cab."

"Smart woman."

They arrive home and before the door has closed behind them Alex is taking off her coat and she's working on getting rid of his jacket and tie. Norma moans when he kisses a path down her neck to her collarbone to the flesh of her breasts available and spilling out from the top of her neckline.

She grabs his face in his hands and kisses his lips roughly, pushing her tongue into his mouth and he groans as he presses his hardness into her belly.

"Can't wait anymore… here, please." She gasps and pleads with him.

He pushes her against the handrail of the stairs, and she grabs it with an arm thrown over her head for support as his hands raise her dress over her hips and touch her trough her soaked panties.

"Alex, please…"

He pulls her black panties down her legs, and as soon as she kicks them off, he works on his zip and fly, his pants dropping to the floor too. He takes himself in his hand and together they guide him to her entrance.

They both moan when he is fully inside her. He holds her hip with one hand and with the other the back of her head, always mindful of her comfort and security. But she doesn't seem to be in any discomfort by the way she's moaning and making all sorts of delicious sounds.

She grabs his neck with her free hand and brings his mouth to hers, kissing him and licking his lips. Her leg is around his hip, pulling him to her. They don't last long, his hips push frenetically against her soft depths and she screams out her pleasure in his ear. He follows her a moment after.

"I love you." He pants in between peppering her face with tiny kisses. "I love you… I love you."

Norma rubs her hands down his back, holding him and calming him.

"I love you too."

Alex moves his head back to look at her, her eyes have a dreamy expression and her face lights up into a gorgeous smile.

"Would you carry me upstairs?" She manages to speak with the last ounce of energy she has left.

"Always."

He pulls his pants up and lowers her dress down covering her. He picks her up and lovingly carries her and places her on their bed. He kicks his shoes and lies down next to her. She nuzzles to his side, also taking off her shoes, and wrapping her arm around his middle.

"Let's take a nap. The night is still young."

She kisses his cheek already half asleep. He places a kiss on her hair and hugs her to him. They still have all night to be together. They'll wake up in about an hour and maybe watch one of her favorite movies. She'll want to eat dessert while watching the movie and he'll make love to her again. Slower this time. They still have all night.

* * *

TBC…


	5. Games

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and messages. Here's another installment. You already know what happens here, right? Happy Normero and nothing more, just fluff and cuteness. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

 _Lost…_

Norma wakes up and Alex is not in bed. Since it's Sunday and he usually likes to spend the early hours of the morning, and sometimes the not so early ones too, in bed with her she wonders where he could possibly be. She puts on her robe and heads for the bathroom.

Reaching the last steps Norma hears the TV on and when she stands on the entry way to the living room sees Alex sitting in the sofa, his eyes glued to the huge TV.

"What are you doing?" She asks as a way of greeting and Alex quickly turns around to face her.

"Morning, babe. Nothing, just surfing the menu."

She looks at him suspiciously.

"Are you watching the next episode without me?"

"No! I would never do that. We agreed to watch it together."

"Uh-huh." She raises an eyebrow.

"There's fresh coffee in the machine." He offers trying to make her less suspicious of him.

She comes back from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in her hands and sits down next to him, folding her legs underneath her, arranging the robe around her. He wraps his arm around her shoulders and she kisses him sweetly on the lips before starting to sip her coffee.

Alex maneuvers the remote control and presses a few buttons until the program they're currently in the middle of watching starts playing.

Norma's attention is instantly grabbed by the action onscreen. She keeps slowly sipping her hot drink. Alex starts playing with her hair, something he knows she enjoys immensely and he found out it's also very relaxing for him, to softly run his hands from her scalp to the end of her pretty blond curls. Her hair has gotten a little longer too, almost to her shoulders, since they married months ago and he loves having even more hair to play with.

"He looks so much like you." Norma mentions.

"Who?"

"That guy, that actor." She points to the TV.

"Hmm, maybe a little bit. Do you find him incredibly sexy?" He teases her as he places a kiss on her earlobe and she giggles.

"Yes. He's my favorite. He better not die."

"He's a badass. I'm pretty sure he won't."

She smiles fondly at him at his not-so-about-the-show remark.

"Is there anyone on the show that reminds you of me?" She suddenly asks.

"No."

She looks at him questioningly.

"No one?"

"Well, there's not a hot, cute, lunatic blonde on the show, so no?"

She opens her mouth feigning indignation.

"Am a lunatic?"

"Yes, baby. But did you not hear the other things I said; hot, cute?"

"I thought you loved me for my incredibly fascinating personality."

"And being a lunatic is part of it."

She laughs.

He keeps kissing her neck, trying to get her attention away from the show, but she suddenly gasps.

"Oh my god! No!"

"What happened?"

"Alex! You have to pay attention. The thing, the black smoke killed him!"

"Oh I missed it." He rewinds the scene.

"Oh that's sad. I liked him too." Norma pouts at the TV.

Alex looks at her profile and smiles. He loves spending Sunday mornings with her; slowly making love, enjoying the gigantic breakfast she makes, and watching their favorite show together. They still have to get around to the other two things on that list but the morning is new.

She finishes her drink, puts the empty cup on the coffee table and sits back. They keep watching the program in silence for about five minutes. Norma can't ever stay quiet for more than that when watching this particular program but Alex loves how engrossed in the story she gets.

"Oh, come on! Why is he leaving her behind?"

"He's going to get food."

"Would you leave me behind on a possessed island to _get food_?"

"No, never. We'd go hunting together. I would never leave you behind. And the island is not possessed."

"Says who?"

"I don't think is possessed."

"Whatever. And anyway, she's better at surviving on that island than him. You'll see, he will either get injured or killed."

"Men are fools." Alex replies.

"Yes, they are." They look into each other's eyes and then Norma finds the remote control and pauses the program. She climbs onto his lap.

His hands settle on her hips as she closes the distance between their faces and kisses him.

When his hands go inside her robe they find her naked as the day she was born. He stops sucking and licking her lips to look at her in awe.

"You've been naked under this the whole time? You should've told me before. I would've stopped watching the stupid show."

"You said it yourself, men are fools." She smiles devilishly as she rubs her center against his growing hardness.

He throws his head back in pleasure as she releases him from his sweat pants and guides him inside her.

"Good morning." She whispers next to his ear as she starts moving on top of him.

"Very good morning."

* * *

 _Cleaning day…_

"Alex?!" Norma yells at the top of her lungs. "Are you done up there?"

There's no reply so she puffs and turns around to the kitchen, where she's done with her cleaning for the day. She bends down to put the detergent bottles under the sink when she feels two strong hands on her hips and a very familiar sensation of somebody pressing into her ass.

She manages to lift her head without being surprised and standing straight, puts her hands on top of his hands on her hips. She pushes her ass a little into his… _oh it feels so good_.

He starts kissing the side of her neck and she asks again. "Are you done up there?"

"Yes. Bathroom is clean." It's Saturday, or as Norma calls it, 'house cleaning day'. Which doesn't make any sense to Alex since he's been leaving with her for months now and she has never before referred to it as that, an also because she likes to clean and she basically cleans something every day. When he asked she said it was time to clean the whole house. So they divided tasks and he offered to clean the bathroom, among other things. Norma had looked at him unsure if he was up to the challenge, but he assured her he knew how to clean a bathroom.

"Okay, great! Because I really need a shower now." She says disengaging from his hug. He's very disappointed she wants to move away so he holds on to her hand and stops her from leaving the kitchen.

"Come on, just a quick kiss?" He pleads with puppy eyes, his eyes full of dark, long eyelashes that Norma finds incredibly pretty and sexy.

"No." She replies firmly.

"No?"

"No, because I know what your innocent 'quick kiss' will lead to," she uses her fingers to air quote, "I know exactly you want and I'm dirty, stinky and sweaty, and frankly, disgusting. I need a shower."

"You're not stinky or dirty." He mentions without releasing her hand and takes a look at her; starting at her feet in her comfy brown flats, and going up her legs covered by tight jeans, and her floral shirt untucked and unbuttoned in all the right places. She's looking at how he's taking inventory of what she's wearing, until finally his eyes land on her face where there's not a trace of makeup, and her hair, pushed back by a hairband, or a headscarf, he doesn't know the correct name but he likes that it's framing her beautiful face.

"You're definitely not disgusting either."

She smiles at him but is not convinced.

"Whatever you say, I still need a shower so I hope that bathtub is clean."

He still doesn't release her hand. "Alex…" She whines but he's getting closer to her and is breathing her in and her breath quickens when it looks like he's about to kiss her.

"You don't believe me? Fine." And he surprises her by lifting her off the ground and throwing her over his shoulder, fireman style, in one swift motion.

Her scream pierces their ears. Her hands are hitting his back, not hurting him since she's really not fighting, but she won't stop either. Stubborn as she is.

"Alex, put me down!" Her shrills are filled with laughter and fake anger.

"I will."

He finally puts her down when he enters the bathroom. Her face is flushed from her exertions and the position he had her in and she's panting now, her chest rising rapidly and his eyes are drawn to the movement.

"What do you think?" He asks and she has trouble understanding the question, her brain already thinking about better things his mouth should be doing, like kissing her.

"The bathroom. Is it to your liking?"

She takes a look around and is actually impressed at how spotless everything looks; he even arranged the towels the way she does.

"Good job."

He starts the shower and then returns to her, kneeling in front of her and taking off her shoes. He then starts opening up the button and zipper of her jeans and starts rolling them down her hips and legs.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asks seriously, but in a shaky breath and enthralled by his movements.

"Since you said you're dirty I'm going to leave you squeaky clean too."

She watches as he takes her panties off and down her legs and then feels his hands on her ass. She rests her hands on his shoulders for support but instead of feeling his lips against her center, already begging for attention, he places a kiss on her lower belly, still covered by her shirt. The simple gesture makes her want to cry or fuck him senseless.

He stands up and opens the buttons of her shirt and lets it fall down to the floor. She's only wearing her bra and it feels strangely erotic and weird at the same time. She can't stand it anymore and she kisses him; her lips latching on to his, her hands on his neck. At the same moment she feels his hand unclasping her bra. She quickly moves the straps down her arms and lets it fall to the floor too. Now she's completely naked while he's fully dressed.

Alex helps her into the tub and she steps into the cool stream of the shower, trying to calm down the rapid beating of her heart or her ragged breathing. The water hits her scalp, and her hair gets wet and she feels the pressure of the water on her shoulders and it feels so good. Alex's hands would feel better though.

When she opens her eyes he's there in the bathtub finally naked in front of her. His eyes hungrily travel over her wet skin. Her nipples are hard from the sudden change in temperature and he wastes no time in bending his head to her chest and sucking first one, then the other, into his mouth.

He takes the liquid soap she likes, the one that smells of flowers, and puts a generous amount of it on his hands, working up a good lather that he quickly rubs on her breasts, her neck, her belly… His hands are not following any pattern, just going from one of her erogenous zones to the other and driving her insane.

Alex washes and massages her back and when he's done she flops back against him, his hands going around the front of her and grabbing her breasts.

"Oh Alex… please."

He moves one of his hands lower and she moans deeply when he touches her where she needs it the most. He finds her wet, a different wet than the water, and he rubs and grinds his hand until she's bucking against him and comes with a shudder and a gasp and holding onto him for dear life.

She turns around and lets her head fall against his wet chest. When she manages to look up to him after a few minutes, she smiles.

"You did a _very_ good job." She winks.

"Told you." He replies smugly.

"I think I should wash you now." She says looking down at his impressive situation.

"If you want." He tries to sound nonchalant.

"Oh I want."

* * *

 _Never…_

The rain is pouring outside, the wind hitting hard against the windows. The sudden storm made a night in the only possible plan for all the residents of White Pine Bay. Alex had called Norma from work and asked if she needed anything from the stores since it was going to be impossible to go out later tonight. When he arrived home he was soaking wet and that was just from walking from his car to the door.

Now, they're both warm and comfortable, and relaxing on the sofa. They had dinner, washed the dishes and are currently watching a black and white movie when the power suddenly goes out. They are instantly bathed in darkness.

"I'll go get the candles." Norma announces and illuminates the path to the kitchen with the light from her cell phone. Alex makes a few calls to the skeleton staff at the station, and to the power company. Yes, it's a big power outage, and it will take hours to fix.

Norma comes back with a big candle in a vase and places it on the coffee table. She also has some smaller candles in her pocket which she gives to Alex. They place them around the living room and light them.

"I called the power company. It's gonna be a few hours until is restored."

"Great. It's too early to go to sleep yet. You want to play a game?" She suggests.

"Like Truth or Dare or Cards Against Humanity? We can't see anything." He mentions.

"No, silly. A questions game, something we can do in the dark. Something along the lines of…" she purses her lips to think. "How about 'Never have I ever'. Do you know that one?"

"Sure. Well, let me get something to drink. What do you want?"

"Anything. Same thing you're drinking."

He goes into the kitchen. She hears when he curses and mutters something.

"Is everything okay?" She asks from the living room.

"Yeah. I just hit my foot with the table." Alex answers as he limps back and sits on the floor, by the coffee table, where Norma is already sitting.

"Awww. I'm sorry. Do you want a massage?"

"No, it's okay. Thanks." He puts the bottle of whiskey on the table.

"Planning on getting drunk, sheriff?" She eyes the bottle while raising her eyebrow at him.

"Maybe I'm planning on getting you drunk."

"We'll see." Her eyes shine mischievously even in the darkness, with only the candle light shining on her face.

"Do you want to start?"

"Ok. I'll go. Never have I ever… fallen in love with a woman." She smiles triumphantly as he gives her a look and takes a small sip from the bottle.

"Never have I ever…" Alex starts, "dyed my hair." She drinks.

"Never have I ever been in a threesome." Alex opens his eyes in surprise as she ups the ante so to speak, even if they're not playing poker. He takes a sip.

"Alex! You have to tell me everything!" Her face lights up in an open mouthed smile, her eyes huge.

"Sorry, that's not the game we're playing tonight." He winks at her.

"My turn." He adds. "Never have I ever cried or flirted my way out of a speeding ticket."

He chuckles as she reaches for the bottle and drinks. "I knew it."

"I was 20!" She defends herself.

"Yeah, yeah okay. Your turn."

"Never have I ever spied on someone while she undressed." Another raised eyebrow from her, another sip for him.

"Are you sure you have never?" He asks and she nods.

"Never have I ever given or received a lap dance." He states and she waits for him to drink but he doesn't.

"Really?" She smiles softly. She thought that was something every man did.

"Never have I ever watched porn." Norma declares and Alex sips. She smiles. He is a man after all.

"Never have I ever called someone the wrong name while hooking up." Alex takes a long sip and Norma realizes he said that so she'd know it has happened to him, not to make her drink.

"What name did you say?" She can't stop herself from asking.

"Yours." He replies sincerely and she inhales deeply, wanting to know all the details but she knows he won't tell her now.

"Never have I ever had sex with someone I wasn't attracted to because I wanted to get laid that badly." Norma admits thinking about James as she takes a sip. If Alex can confess something she can too. He drinks too after she's done with the bottle. They look at each other; wondering when it happened for the other.

"Never have I ever been handcuffed." He pushes the bottle towards her.

"Is this even fair? I don't think it is!" Norma protests.

"It is." She sips and winces, the alcohol already getting into her system, and he looks on, pleased with himself.

"Never have I ever paid for sex." She vows and waits. Neither of them drinks. Norma is extremely pleased to learn this about Alex, although she never thought of him as the kind of man who needed to pay to get any, feels good to confirm it.

"Never have I ever done a striptease." He's sure she will have to drink. Norma is too proper and delicate, and if she hasn't done it with him yet, he doubts she has done it with anybody else.

Instead of taking the bottle she starts unbuttoning her shirt. Alex eyes go big as she stands up and moves one shoulder, then the other, and lets the shirt fall. The shadows created by the candles are dancing on her white skin, against the black lace bra she's wearing. Then she lowers the side zipper on her skirt and shimmies out of it, making sure to move her hips left and right, dancing to some slow sensual music that only she can hear.

The only thing Alex hears is the beating of his heart against his ribcage as she stands in nothing but a set of black lace bra and underwear, and a smile that can only be called enigmatic. Norma kneels on the floor and crawls towards him, on her hands and knees she looks like a white tiger, all blue eyes and pink lips.

"Never have I ever…" she whispers in his ear, "loved someone enough that all else cease to exist; and I would do anything to make the other person happy."

Alex kisses her; long and deep. She is all softness and sweetness in his hands, she moans happily as he lays her down on the floor, lying on top of her. She tastes of whiskey and smells of roses and jasmines. The rain has picked up outside, the candle flames keep fighting against the wind gusts, and their bodies dance together to the rhythm they have perfected so well.

"Who won the game?" He whispers in her ear.

"We both did."

* * *

TBC…


	6. Together

**A/N: You thought this story was done? No, it was just on hiatus, but the serendipity bug bit me again. Hope you like it. This chapter is dedicated to WhereAreWeGoing.**

* * *

 _Jealousy…_

Norma sits patiently at the salon chair while the stylist finishes her hair. She needed a touch-up of color and after that comes the washing, the blow drying and the styling. She's at the last page of the magazine she picked up and she's also getting bored. She wants out soon. With nothing else to do aside from small talk with her stylist she decides to eavesdrop on the other women's conversations.

It's all incredibly boring to her anyway; rich women talking about rich women's problems. Something she can't identify with. Even now, when her life is a vast improvement in the economic department with Alex's salary and her own money from what the motel still brings in or the cakes she started baking and selling, she still feels she has to worry about spending and being good at finances. It may be a habit born out of a childhood spent in a poor home but she's also frugal and never wastes money; hers or Alex's.

Then a part of the conversation catches her attention.

"Are you going to the Beer Festival this weekend?" The young blonde hairstylist asks her customer, a beautiful brunette woman with ivory skin and long wavy hair that falls behind her back. She's probably around her own age, Norma ponders. Although she has more makeup on than what Norma likes to wear for this time of day anyway.

"Yes! I wouldn't miss it. I can't wait to see all the eligible bachelors of White Pine Bay again!" She exclaims with a bright red smile.

Norma notices the woman also wears a lot of red lipstick. She doesn't like red lipstick, and if she is going to wear it, she would only apply it on her lips during evening, never during daytime. But that's her; the other woman clearly has different tastes.

"When did you get back?" The stylist keeps talking to the brunette woman.

"A week ago. I spent six months in Europe and loved it but I had to come back to take care of the house and the business." She replies tossing her hair. "I hope to get out of that festival with a hot date."

They both laugh.

"Is it true the Sheriff got married?" The woman asks and the stylist nods. "What a shame."

Norma feels her blood boiling in her veins. Does this woman know Alex? She wants a _hot date_ with him? Is she one of those women Alex used to see?

Just as her eyes are about to burn holes on the woman's skin, her own stylist finishes doing her hair. With a last toss of her blonde locks, Marie shows Norma the results. Norma looks back to the mirror and is very pleased with her reflection.

"You look fabulous! Do you like it?" Marie exclaims.

"I do. I always like how you style my hair. Thanks."

Norma stands up, smoothing the wrinkles on her skirt and going to the front to pay. Then she goes back to give Marie a tip.

"Thank you, Norma. See you!"

Norma can't help her next thought and her subsequent reaction. She smiles to herself and to what she is about to do. She approaches the brunette woman and stands behind her, so she can see her on the mirror in front of her. Norma runs a hand down her hair as if checking out her new hairdo.

"Good luck getting the Sheriff's attention, but I don't think you're his type." Norma warns her.

"Oh, really? Why?"

"Because I know for a fact he likes blondes. And also, he won't be alone; I'll be there with him because he's my husband. So you know… he's off the market." Norma raises her eyebrow as she speaks. The woman's mouth hangs open in embarrassment and surprise.

Norma turns around with a triumphant smile on her face. She can't wait to tell Alex about this. He'll have a laugh and tease her about being jealous. Then she'll tell him _No, I'm not jealous. Because I know you're mine._

* * *

 _Emergency…_

Alex hangs up his cell phone and runs out the station like the building is on fire. He turns the siren on his police vehicle as he races towards the hospital. _Sheriff, it's your wife. She's okay but she's been in an accident…_ he heard the caller, one of his deputies, say. He wants to be calm, but he only hears _wife_ and _accident_ in his head over and over. He arrives at the hospital in record time, half-parks his SUV like only police are allowed to do and runs inside the ER.

"I'm looking for Norma Bates." He asks hurriedly and impatiently to the first person he sees behind the counter. He is sure his uniform and badge are enough to get the information he needs right away, but even as the man is typing fast on the computer, he's not fast enough for Alex's liking.

"Norma Bates. My wife, where is she?" Alex almost yells and the man quickly answers.

"Bed 7."

"Thanks."

As Alex is reaching Norma's bed he sees one of his deputies standing guard outside the door. He nods at her.

"Who is responsible for this?" Alex demands.

"James Ripoll's kid, Jimmy. He cut in front of her. Ran the red light." The female official reports.

"And where is he?"

"He's here too. He's getting checked out and we told him he had to stay put until you arrived."

Alex nods in agreement.

"I'm going to see Norma and then I will see him, do not let him out of your sight."

"Deputy White is with him."

"Great. Thanks for staying with her." He motions towards the door.

"Sure, boss. No problem."

Alex continues and opens the door dividing the waiting area and the beds. He spots Norma's head of blonde hair immediately. As he walks closer he notices her eyes are closed; her left arm is in a sling and she has a nasty bump and bruise on her forehead. He's going to kill that bastard Jimmy.

"Norma? Are you awake?"

She opens her eyes slowly and it takes her a second longer to focus on his face and recognize him.

"Alex!" She tries to move but she can't right away so he sits next to her on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" His hand is already running lightly down her face, afraid to touch her where it must hurt but unable to stop himself from feeling her warm skin under his fingers, to reassure himself through touch she is indeed okay. He was so scared when the call came. He thought he had lost her.

"Some idiot cut me off!" She sounds irritated, as if being in a car accident was nothing more than a nuisance, and not the scariest thing Alex had heard during the entire day.

"I know. You were in an accident. That's why you're in the hospital." He explains slowly. She looks at him and all of a sudden she looks anxious.

"He came out of nowhere, then there was a loud crash and I don't remember anything else. Just sounds and voices, lots of voices. They put me in an ambulance. I think I hit my head…" She murmurs as she tentatively touches her forehead and hisses as the pain hits her.

Alex takes her hand in his and kisses it. She relaxes a little at his touch.

"I'm going to find the doctor, see when I can take you home. I'll be right back, ok?"

"Okay."

He kisses the top of her head and leaves the room.

Alex talks with the doctor and she explains Norma hit her head but they already did some scans and it's just the bump, no concussion. Her arm is not broken but was put in the sling to prevent more swollenness and protect it while the muscles and tendons heal. The sling should be off in one to two weeks. She prescribed painkillers and Norma was already given a dose at the hospital.

After getting Norma's release form signed by the doctor, Alex goes to talk to the man who put his wife in the hospital. He finds him pacing on the hallway. His deputy is also there.

"So you're the guy responsible for my wife's accident?" Alex tries to keep it professional, but his anger is already showing.

The young guy is a few inches taller than Alex but right now he seems to be getting smaller under the authoritative figure's reproachful eye.

"You're lucky she's alive and not badly hurt or I would make sure you end up in jail for the rest of your life." Alex threatens the younger man.

"She came out of nowhere, man. It was not my fault." Jimmy tries to defend himself but Alex pushes him against the wall. He grabs the young man's shirt and almost chokes him with it.

"Are you calling my wife a liar?" Alex gets close to his face. Jimmy looks scared. "The witnesses and the police say it was your fault. You ran a red light and cut in front of her so don't give me that bullshit." Alex releases him forcefully. "Go home. I'll be calling you to deal with the insurance."

The younger man leaves and Alex turns around.

"Punkass." He mutters under his breath.

The drive home was quiet. Norma closed her eyes the entire ride and only opened them when she felt the vehicle being parked and the engine being turned off. Alex gets out of the car and goes around it to help her out.

"Is my car totaled?" Norma asks sadly when she notices the empty space next to Alex's SUV. She loves to see both cars parked next to each other in front of their house.

"No, it's not. Don't worry about it. We'll get it fixed. I'll pay for whatever the insurance won't cover."

She smiles gratefully at him.

"Come on, I'll carry you." He offers.

"Alex, I can walk. It's my arm that's hurt not my legs." But just as she protests she feels a bout of dizziness, probably from the medication she was given. She wobbles just a little but he notices it.

"But I want to carry you." He simply states as he picks her up effortlessly. She wraps her good arm around his neck, drops her head into his chest and lets herself be carried.

When he arrives at their bedroom, he gently deposits her on their bed. He caresses her hair, framing her face in between his strong calloused hands. Sometimes he's preoccupied he might be too rough for her delicate soft skin. His worries are always forgotten as soon as she leans into each and every one of his caresses.

"I was so scared." She whispers in a small voice. He can see her eyes are shining with tears.

"I thought I would never see you again." She continues.

Her fear was the same as his.

They hug each other; her free arm around him while both his arms encircle her in a protective embrace. He inhales the smell of her hair; then places a kiss on top of her head.

"I know, baby. I was scared too. But you're okay. That's all that matters." She already feels safer in his arms.

"Did you beat up that poor kid?"

He breaks the hug so he can look at her face. She has an expression that says _I know you_.

"How do you know who it was?"

"Jennifer told me. Deputy Sanders, I asked her, she told me."

"Ah, well, he's no kid. He's 24, and no, I did not beat him." Pause. "I pushed him against the wall, though."

"Alex…" She uses her warning tone, the one that tells him she disapproves.

He shrugs. She smiles at him.

"Can you help me out of these clothes?" Norma grumbles as she looks down at herself and frowns at seeing the state of her outfit and her arm on a sling.

"I thought you'd never ask." He wiggles his eyebrows to make her laugh, but he knows they won't do anything tonight. She's hurt and needs to rest.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but I'm very tired."

"I know." He kisses the tip of her nose and he helps her get rid of her shirt.

"You're going to have to take care of me for a few days." She warns.

"I can't wait."

She raises her hips so he can pull her skirt down her legs. "And in a few days I'll have my way with you…"

He's going to answer something entirely inappropriate but when he looks up he sees Norma, clad in only her white underwear and bra, has fallen asleep. She looks magnificent, even with the bruise on her forehead and her arm on a sling.

He takes off his clothes too. It's only 4 pm but he is not going back to work today. He's taking the rest of the day and evening off to stay home and take care of her. Maybe tomorrow he'll stay home too. For now, he lies next to her and covers both of them with thick warm blankets and hugs her, as much as he can without disturbing her sleep or her injured arm. She moves a little bit closer to him and sighs deeply.

"Rest, Norma. I'll be here when you wake up."

* * *

 _Privacy…_

Norma gets out of the fitting room after trying on the fourth dress. She thinks this is finally it but she wants the opinion of her shopping companion.

"How about this one?" She asks as she opens the tiny room's curtain with a flourish.

She stands in front of him, her eyebrows slowly rising up when she doesn't get a quick response. She shrugs and turns around to look at herself in the mirror inside the fitting room. She moves her hands softly from her hips to her thighs, admiring the soft texture of the fabric on her skin. She really likes this dress.

Then she feels him breathing behind her, and when she looks up into the mirror she can see his face behind her, and can feel his hands coming to rest on her waist while he places a tiny, fleeting, most delicate kiss on her shoulder.

"This one is perfect." He whispers sending shivers down her spine.

She can see the hunger in his eyes; her heart is beating faster too. She takes a quick look around the small store, they're the only customers here right now, and the sales girl is nowhere to be seen. She must be around the back somewhere; feeling secure that the respectable sheriff and his wife are her customers and thus leaving the store alone for a few minutes won't cause her any lose.

Norma turns around and places a hot, wet kiss on his mouth. He starts backing her up until he has her pressed against the wall of the small fitting room. Somehow he managed to close the curtain too.

"Alex… we can't." She gasps between kisses as his hands are getting friskier and he's trying to lower the side zipper down. Which would leave her very exposed since the dress is a halter top and she's not currently wearing a bra; she took it off so she could try on this dress.

"Why not?" He breathes against her neck, and she almost loses control. Her neck is very sensitive and he knows it, so he's not playing fair.

"Because we're in a public place!" She manages to yell in a whispering voice. "This is a store and I really would like to come back and I won't be able to do that if that girl catches us making out in the dressing room!"

He's smiling and trying to kiss her again when they hear someone clearing her throat from the other side of the curtain.

"Hmm, is everything alright?" The store attendant's almost timid voice greets them.

Norma glares at Alex and he simply smiles again, adjusting himself in his pants since the impromptu make out session has left him in a semi-hard state.

"No! I mean, yes! Everything's okay!" Norma tries to sound normal, but her voice is much too tense. When she sees Alex is in a presentable position, so to speak, she opens the curtain to find the young woman looking at them with a questioning expression on her face.

"My husband here was helping me with the zipper." Upon listening to herself she quickly tries to fix it. "It got stuck."

Nobody believes her, not even herself. Norma gently pushes Alex out of the small room and she changes back to her own clothes.

At the register, Alex pays for the dress. The young woman is packing the dress while the transaction is being processed. She then hands Norma the bag that holds the box with her dress inside it.

"Hope you don't have any more problems with the zipper." The young woman winks at her and Norma's eyes widen.

"She totally knew what we were up to!" She yells to Alex as soon as they're out into the street.

"So what?"

"You're having too much fun with this!" Alex just laughs harder at Norma's embarrassment. "I'll get you for this." She promises.

* * *

"Alex?" Norma calls him from her bedroom. "Can you come up here for a second?"

She can hear his rushed steps up the stairs and his voice getting closer as he walks down the hallway and into their bedroom. "Norma, we have to leave! I hope you're ready, I have to give the welcome speech…" But he will be lucky if he can regain his voice, much more his composure, after being caught like a deer in headlights looking at the vision that is his wife right now.

She's wearing the dress they bought last week, the navy blue halter dress that he liked so much, and that she paired now with evening makeup and her dangling faux sapphire earrings. Her hair has a lovely curl around her face and even though the dress is long, he can see very high and sexy heels peeking out from underneath it.

The dress is form fitting too, hugging her curves in all the right places. His eyes are drawn to her bare shoulders, to the shape of her breasts to her hips and he thinks to hell with the function, or the welcome speech or any of his official duties tonight. He wants to stay home with her.

All of a sudden she's walking towards him with a predatory look on her eyes. The swaying of her hips hypnotizing him. She gently touches his chin.

"Close your mouth. You'll catch flies."

Then he hears her soft laugh and in a moment, she's gone.

They've been at the function for over three hours. They arrived on time and Alex gave his speech. Everyone congratulated him on the success of the budget and objectives of the sheriff's department, but mostly, everyone seemed to congratulate him on how beautiful his wife is.

He knows everybody knew Norma by now, but this is the first time they got to look at her in formal wear. And frankly, if she was stunning in normal clothes she is even more so all made up like she is tonight. She even managed to leave him speechless.

She also has been torturing him the whole evening. To be fair he doesn't mind this kind of torture: her warm hand on his thigh while they were sitting at their table, the skin of her naked back under his suddenly sweaty palm when they danced, the way that dress hugs her ass. He never knew he could feel envious of a fucking dress. He can't take it anymore.

"Norma. Can we leave now?"

"Why? I'm having fun." She doesn't care for the party and he knows it, but her playful smile tells him she is enjoying the predicament she's putting him in.

"Because I need to be alone with you or I won't he held accountable for the R rated show I'll put for these fine people here when I fuck you in the middle of this room."

That got her attention. Her eyes widen but she recovers quickly from the shock of hearing his words.

"Okay. Let's go."

* * *

When they finally reach their bedroom, and Norma has stopped giggling (Alex has confirmed by now that whenever she drinks alcohol and she's happy she giggles), they kiss. Norma holds his face between her hands. Alex softly grabs her upper arms, and then his own arms reach around and hug her completely.

"You can lower the zipper down now." Norma whispers in a sexy tone and Alex quickly obliges her.

She keeps kissing his neck and face.

"Did I say thanks for buying me this dress?"

"Yeah, you did."

Alex can barely think straight. He can only silently watch her movements as she reaches behind her neck and opens the only buttons keeping her dress in place. The entire piece covering her chest falls from her body, leaving her breasts exposed to his hungry eyes. She shimmies her hips and then tosses the dress to the other side of the room. It lands in a heap of blue fabric and blue sequins on the floor.

"Well, thanks again."

Norma takes off her shoes and then reclines on the bed with a knowing smile.

"Is this all payback for what I did at the store?"

"Maybe."

Alex starts taking off his clothes. Her eyes follow his every move. Her heart starts beating faster and her lips become dry so she licks them. He stands fully naked in front of her; enjoying the way her eyes are travelling over his body.

He joins her in bed. They waste no time in kissing and touching and grabbing every bit of available skin. He slowly takes her small panties down her legs and then sits back to admire the view. Alex thinks she looks like one of those nude paintings from a museum.

They battle for dominance; neither wants to let the other win. Their teasing game that started in this very same room hours ago and continued at the party is reaching its fever pitch. She's on top for a few moments, teasing him and rubbing herself on him. He flips them over, pushing into her spread legs but never allowing himself to enter her.

Then he kisses her and she bites his lip. He flinches in pain so he tickles her in retaliation and in trying to escape his tickles she turns around onto her stomach; laughing into the mattress. Alex then flops onto his back, taking her with him. She ends up on top of him, her back to his chest, looking up at the ceiling. His arms are encircling her waist as her laughter dies down.

She tentatively moves against him and he groans. Norma slowly and deliberately places her legs on the outside of his, effectively opening herself to him. She moves her head to the side to be able to kiss him, throwing her arm behind her so she can grab his face and hold his face to hers. His arms on her waist, then at her hips, moving her down to the place he wants her the most. She reaches down and guides him into her. They both groan at the sensation of finally being connected this way.

What he can't achieve in angle he makes up for with movement and touches. He never stops caressing her breasts, her thighs, her stomach, and kissing her mouth and face. When he knows she's close, he squeezes her breasts and pushes his legs wider opening her more to him and making her moan loudly as her orgasm approaches. She grabs on to him for dear life, one hand around his neck and another on his arm across her middle. When his hand moves down, her own hand follows, and when his fingers touch her swollen clit, hers are on top of his. A few rubs is all it takes and she flies; moaning at the ceiling and calling to god and to him. He feels like a god himself.

He waits until she has calmed down to thrust harder and faster into her, his bent knees and spread legs giving him the leverage he needs. He finishes with a loud groan and a litany of _I love you's_ and her name escaping his throat.

She feels like water; and lets her body slide off of his, until she's nestled on his side. His arms are around her. A kiss is pressed to her forehead. Another one against is placed on his chest.

"Did you enjoy your function?"

"I think the after party was better."

She giggles.

"Thank you for my new dress, Alex."

"You're very welcome. Thank you for taking it off."

"You're incorrigible." She places a soft kiss on his lips.

"You love that about me."

"I do."

"And I love everything about you, Norma Bates."

"Well, Alexander Romero, I love everything about you, too. So, we're even."

"When are we going shopping for a new dress together again?"

She laughs.

* * *

TBC…


	7. Outdoors

**A/N:These two short stories couldn't be more different one from the other. But what can I say? You never know what the muse will bring. I hope you like them. Thanks for reading and reviewing and allowing me to keep writing for you.**

* * *

 _Surprise…_

Norma already cleaned everything that was due for cleaning today. She did laundry and has the dinner menu already planned. The problem is, it's only 2pm and she's bored out of her mind. That is a rare occurrence since she always finds something to do; sewing, cleaning, cooking, reading, gardening, the list can go on. But today she feels restless; like something's missing. Suddenly, her face lights up with a smile as she gets an idea.

Alex's phone rings breaking the silence of the inside of the SUV. He's currently parked in a semi-remote area, the trees providing shade and a certain amount of hiding. He's doing something he's not supposed to do, he being the sheriff, but his patrol deputy called in sick today and since he was short on staff to begin with, he had no other option but to cover for his sick employee. That's why Alex is inside his car, looking at other cars passing by, monitoring each one's speed with the little machine on top of the console. He's bored like he's never been bored before, at least with his job. When his phone interrupts his wandering thoughts he is thankful for the distraction.

A smile spreads on his face as soon as he sees who's calling him.

"Norma, are you okay?" He answers quickly.

"Why do you have to answer the phone like that? Whatever happened to 'hello'?"

"Fine, hello. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine. What are you doing?"

"Uh, I'm working."

"No, Alex. Be more specific, what exactly are you doing, like, right now?"

"I'm patrolling the streets." He pauses. "No, wait, actually I'm sitting in my car, watching all the other cars go by."

"Where are you?"

"Off Bayside Road, around the corner after 18th Street, behind some trees. Why?"

"Okay. See you later, bye!"

Norma hangs up the phone before Alex can say anything else. He looks at the phone and chuckles.

About 15 minutes later, when he has resigned himself to a boring and long afternoon by himself, he sees Norma's car slowly passing by, then making the craziest U-turn (he really should tell her to be more careful when driving) and parking next to his SUV.

He's looking expectantly at her, as she gets out of her car, goes around it and opens the door on his passenger's side, getting inside and closing it behind her.

"Hi!" She exclaims, happy to see him. There's a faint blush on her cheeks and her neck and Alex's eyes travel down the open V of her shirt collar before looking up into her eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asks for the second time that day.

He doesn't get a verbal response, but something in Norma's body language and her facial expression tells him she's more than okay, and also in the mood he's come to known as 'frisky Norma'; when she wants to play and play hard.

"Norma?"

"Yes, Alex?" Her voice is seductive, gasping for air as if she's been running for a mile, her chest rising and falling quickly.

Before he can say, do, or think anything else she's kissing him; her hands on his face and her tongue inside his mouth. His surprised gasp making it all too easy to slip her tongue past his lips. His hands are on her waist, and on her neck and on her hair and then suddenly he remembers where they are and breaks the kiss. They need air anyway.

"Norma, we're in the car. It's daylight."

Her eyebrow rises as a reply and a lopsided grin appears on her face. He can tell she doesn't care at all about their current location. She drove all the way down here, didn't she?

"Norma, someone might see us." He's trying to reason with her with the last bit of common sense he has left, because his blood is rapidly going south and he can barely think straight.

"Not if I duck my head in here." She answers in a calm voice, as if it's entirely normal that she appears out of nowhere, and starts making out with him while he's on the job, out on the street nonetheless.

Her hands are already working on his belt and buckle, and before he knows it she has also opened his fly and taken him out of his pants. He was already hard, and the feeling of being set free and the cool, soft caress of her hands on his heated skin is all he can bear.

"Norma…" He doesn't know what he was going to say, he lost all vocabulary because her mouth is on him, around him, engulfing him in wetness and warmth and he throws his head back and his hands grab the wheel forcefully.

She works him expertly, lovingly, unhurriedly. Her moans filling the once boring empty inside of the car. His groans fill her ears and she feels powerful, that she can reduce him to a blubbering mess with just her mouth. He takes a chance and looks down, all he can see is her head bobbing up and down, her mass of blonde curls a curtain around her face and on his lap. He looks around and only sees trees; one blue car driving in the distance.

He reaches down, places one of his hands on her hair, and softly caresses one golden ringlet with the restraint of a man about to experience sweet release. He's holding back. He wants to thrust his length past her welcoming lips but won't let himself to do it. Besides the space inside the car does not allow for much movement. She feels his hand on her hair, and intuitively knows what he wants. She releases him from the sweet confines of her mouth and looks up to him. He admires her swollen lips and wide pupils, she's so gorgeous and divine. Alex has never seen anything sexier.

"Let go, Alex. I want it all."

She goes back to kissing him, sensual kisses up and down his length. When she puts him in her mouth again, she feels his hips start moving slowly although still cautious, always protective, always mindful. It doesn't take long. She feels him tense up and then he's spilling into her. She doesn't stop her movements until he's stopped his own and she has swallowed all of his essence.

She releases him with a pop, and kisses the tip of him one last time, then tucks him inside his pants. Alex finally moves his hands to better rearrange himself and buckle his zip and fly.

"What's gotten into you? I mean, I'm not complaining." He's trying to regain his composure. He's spent and frankly, a little in shock. He never thought Norma would be into doing things like this in public.

"I was bored." She answers while running a hand through her hair, trying to fix the disarray.

"And so you just decided to find me and do this?" He smiles at her. He loves her and her every irrational, impulsive whim.

"I couldn't wait until tonight." Her eyes twinkle as she looks back at him.

"But I feel bad. I want to reciprocate…" His hands start reaching for her.

"Don't get any ideas. I'm not getting naked in your car, during the day!"

"Oh, but I could!"

She smiles again as she puts on lipstick that she has taken out of her purse.

"Arrest me then."

"I like your bad girl side."

They smile in complicity.

"See you tonight." She says as she gives him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I can't wait."

* * *

 _Detour..._

Alex finally listened to Norma and took a few days off work. He has been so tired the last couple weeks that he would arrive from work and often fall asleep on the couch while she finished preparing their dinner. She had to interrupt his nap, which always made her feel guilty; knowing he needed his rest. But he also needed to eat so she'd wake him, fed him and send him upstairs to shower and sleep.

She is so excited about spending a few days away. They're just driving two towns away, but Alex will be officially off duty for four days and she can't wait to spoil him and make him relax and enjoy his short vacation.

She made a reservation in a local owned hotel, being a small business owner herself she always tried to support local businesses, and had gone grocery shopping for things they could eat on the road and once they reached their destination. She has told Alex repeatedly she did not want him spending too much money and that they could save a considerable amount if she cooked for them. It was only a few days and being away from the house, she'd have nothing else to do.

Norma is waiting for Alex to come back from the office where he insisted going one more time before leaving. She has their two bags neatly packed and the bag with unprepared food, as well as a basket with sandwiches, fruits and drinks for the trip.

Alex doesn't know it, but she looked online and found a few places where they can stop and take cheesy touristy pictures, relax and have a picnic. They will have so much fun.

"Norma?" Alex calls for her when he opens the front door.

"You're home!" She greets him from the top of the stairs.

"Yeah. Are you ready?"

She starts walking down the steps and Alex admires the way her purple skirt moves around her shapely legs. She's wearing the pink shirt with the little pink flowers that Alex loves so much. Upon seeing him admiring her attire, Norma knows she made the right decision in choosing it.

She kisses him when she reaches him, his arms going around her waist and holding her to him.

"Is this all?" He asks while looking at the bags arranged in a perfect line on the corridor.

"Yes."

"OK." He says while picking almost all of them at once. "Let's go."

"Alex! You're supposed to relax! Let me carry something!" Norma protests but he is already out the door. She picks up the basket and her purse from the cabinet in the hallway and goes out the door.

* * *

Norma is driving. After a few hours, they had stopped for gas and then at a park where they ate their sandwiches and drank their drinks; cranberry juice for Norma, beer for Alex. Then, when walking back to the vintage car she had insisted to drive. This was, after all, supposed to be his time to relax and she wanted to drive her car anyway. He had put his hands in the air, admitting defeat and given her the car keys. She smiled in triumph.

Only 20 minutes back on the road and Alex had fallen asleep. She looks at him, taking her eyes off the road for short moments to peek at his beautiful face, his head lying comfortable against the headrest. She drives carefully, not wanting to make any sudden movement that would disturb his sleep. Norma looks for a radio station that plays soft music that won't wake him up.

She settles for a random station currently playing a song in which she can recognize clearly the melody of a piano. After a while, she starts paying attention to the lyrics too.

 _There's something in your voice  
Makes my heart beat fast  
Hope this feeling lasts  
The rest of my life  
If you knew how lonely my life has been  
And how long I've been so alone  
If you knew how I wanted someone to come along  
And change my life the way you've done_

Norma doesn't know the song, her taste in music inclined more to the classics and not the popular songs of today, but she likes the soft female voice that sings the beautiful lines that could've been written for her and her feelings for Alex.

 _It feels like home to me  
It feels like home to me  
Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong_

She's so enthralled by this music she hasn't heard before that she almost misses the exit she had planned to take. But she is quick, and without losing a second, she takes the road to where she wanted to go with Alex. She drives for a little while and then she sees it. The view opens up in front of her like the panoramic scene of a movie, the sweeping movement of a camera capturing the natural beauty in front of her.

The lake looks crystal blue, unmoved and untouched in its expanse, and the mountains behind it although far away create the perfect contrast between water and sky. There's no one around. Is the middle of the week so no tourists or even locals are in sight. She parks the car and looks at Alex who is still sound asleep.

She had planned to come here, and enjoy the scenic nature together, maybe even take a swim, but she doesn't have the heart to wake him now. She gets out of the car, leaving the windows down so the air inside stays fresh. He might be asleep but she is wide awake and feeling more alive than ever. The song keeps playing on the radio like the perfect soundtrack to this moment.

 _A window breaks down a long dark street  
And a siren wails in the night  
But I'm alright 'cause I have you here with me  
And I can almost see through the dark there is light_

She decides to take her clothes off. First she opens her shirt and throws it in the back seat. Then her skirt follows suit. She looks down at her underwear and is thankful she put on dark purple panties, that way she can swim in them and not be too exposed, although there's no one here aside from herself and Alex. She packed a bathing suit but she has no desire to go look for it. It's one thing to take off her skirt and shirt, another one to go completely nude out in the open just to put on a bathing suit. It would defeat the purpose of changing. She leaves her pink bra on, takes her wedges off, and walks towards the lake.

After a while, Alex wakes up and for a moment he is disoriented. Where is he? He rubs his eyes and then he sees that he is by a lake, alone in the car. _Where is Norma?_ He's instantly worried, his body going on alert and getting out of the car fast only to see Norma walking towards the car smiling at him. She is naked though, no, she's not naked, she's wearing her undergarments but she is very wet. Her hair is dry, only the ends of it a little wet too.

"Norma, what are you doing?"

"I wanted to take a swim. And you were asleep so I went in."

She has reached him and the car. He only looks at her with a mild shocked expression on his face; first because only she would think of taking a swim here without waking him first, and second, because she looks incredibly exquisite wearing nothing but her wet lingerie and he's thanking his lucky stars for sending him a woman like her.

She looks into one of the bags and takes out a long towel and starts drying herself with it. He's moved into action.

"Here, let me help." He offers and she lets him take ahold of the towel. He starts running it over her shoulders and chest, and down her arms and belly.

"You should've woken me up. It's not safe to go swim by yourself in an isolated area like this." He admonishes softly as he dries her skin with all the dedication an artist places on a fine sculpture.

"I always feel safe when you're around."

He looks at her and finds her already looking at his face. He wraps the towel around her shoulders and hugs her. She puts her arms around his waist and they kiss. Softly, the gentle breeze murmuring sweet nothings in their ears, the birds singing songs only people in love can hear.

When they part Norma throws the wet towel in the back seat. She puts her clothes back on; her shirt immediately getting wet spots where her wet bra lays underneath. Then she reaches for her phone.

"I want you to listen to something. But let me get this working first." She says with a concentrated expression.

"What is it?" Alex asks curious.

"Uh, Dylan put an app on my phone that finds songs, because I never know who sings what…" She looks up from her phone. "You know, aside from the standards." Alex smiles at her explanation as if he didn't know already of her preferences in music. Yes to the old, not so much to the new. Every now and then he'd catch her humming or trying to learn a modern song, she'd say it was because she knew he liked it. Maybe he did, but his favorite music now is anything Norma wants to play on piano or sing.

"And when I was driving, a beautiful song came on, and I… the phone will…" He hears a piano melody coming from her phone. "Got it!" She places her phone on the hood of the car. "Listen to the lyrics."

 _Something in your eyes  
Makes me want to lose myself  
Makes me want to lose myself  
In your arms_

They start dancing to the rhythm of the love song. Alex can feel the wet spots in Norma's shirt, but below that, he can feel her warm skin, the beating of her heart, her breathing next to his ear.

 _If you knew how much this moment means to me  
And how long I've waited for your touch  
If you knew how happy you are making me  
I never thought that I'd love anyone so much_

"Do you like it?" Norma asks.

"Yes." Alex hugs her tighter. He can't love this woman any more than at this moment.

 _It feels like home to me  
It feels like home to me  
It feels like I'm all the way back where  
I come from  
It feels like home to me  
It feels like home to me  
Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong_

* * *

TBC…

The song is Feels Like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk.


	8. Celebrations

**A/N: They got married in December 2015 (canon), so here they've had two years of important dates, birthdays and moments to mark; some happier than others. I know these are supposed to be short stories, but sometimes they become bigger on their own. Thank you for reading and for the reviews during this past year, and even if you never reviewed, but you read any of my stories and felt touched by them, I thank you too. Thanks for letting me share them with you and for your constant support. xo**

* * *

 _April 2016…_

Alex has been racking his brain for the past two weeks trying to find the perfect gift for Norma. It's her birthday soon and he wants to give her something special. The problem is he can't seem to find anything that she will enjoy and put to use, but that she'll also accept without protesting. He gave her a pair of earrings for Christmas a mere four months ago. He could tell by her shocked expression and thankful words upon opening the small box that she liked his selection but she kept saying they looked too expensive, that she was afraid to wear them and lose them and that he shouldn't buy her such costly things. It was a gift given just two weeks into their marriage when so much was going on at the time. He had just gone to the jewelry store and bought what he thought was a nice gift for his new bride.

Now, he wants to put more thought into it. Make it more special. He takes his break at lunch to go walk down the streets of the village, looking at store windows to see if he gets lucky with a gift. After 30 minutes he sees it and knows he's found, finally, the perfect gift.

Alex arrives home and calls out for Norma. He has to speak her name a few times until she hears him and yells back at him in response. She's in the basement. As he walks down the stairs he can hear her humming and then sees she's busy arranging some fabric on the shelves. They put up more shelves to add more usable space; using it now as a half pantry and half storage unit for household items.

"Hi, honey!" Norma exclaims as soon as she sees him.

"Hello." He replies walking over to her and kissing her softly on the lips. She goes back to finish what she was doing. He just looks at her in silence until she stops her movements and looks back to him.

"What?" She asks with a half-smile.

He smiles back, because he's sure his plans for Saturday, which includes dinner reservations at her favorite restaurant and the gift he bought her, will make her happy.

* * *

It's Saturday night, and a cool early spring breeze gently moves Norma's hair away from her face as they walk around town holding hands, just enjoying being a couple in love.

They've been eating their dinner across from each other in silence, when suddenly Norma looks up at him, their eyes lock, and she smiles, looking back down at her food. He loves seeing her like this; relaxed and enjoying herself. He knows his company is also part of the reason she's smiling like that.

Now, dressed up in a dark purple dress, with a delicious amount of cleavage showing, and a faint blush on her cheeks, Alex thinks she's simply the most exquisite woman he has ever seen.

He clears his voice before speaking. "Uh, I want to propose a toast to you, on your birthday," he starts raising his champagne filled glass. "To the most beautiful, strong, loving and giving woman I've met."

They clink their glasses and drink.

"Also, I want you to know your gift is back home."

Norma stops drinking.

"What? I thought this was my gift." A tiny smile spreads across her face.

"No." He chuckles outwardly but deep inside it saddens him a little that she clearly hasn't been spoiled by any man before him. Her expectations are always low. He's happy he's in her life now as he plans to remedy all that.

"It's something I hope you like and use more than the earrings I gave you at Christmas." He mentions and she can tell right away by his tone he's been misjudging her love for the jewelry this whole time.

"Alex, these earrings are the most beautiful gift I've ever been given." She moves her delicate hand to touch the dangling white gold ornament with little diamonds hanging from her ear. She has tilted her head to the side and Alex can appreciate how pretty her neck is, how perfect the earrings accentuate her lovely face. "Aside from my wedding ring." She adds looking down fondly at the ring on her finger, the one Alex placed there last December. "I only wear the earrings in special moments because I don't want to make them something ordinary. They're too special to me."

"You're special to me." Alex tells her and they both know how lucky they are.

* * *

Back at the house Alex had placed his hands over Norma's eyes to keep her from peeking too early into her surprise gift. He directs her up the stairs and into Dylan's old room, where now sits a brand new modern sewing machine, along with threads of all colors and some other sewing items Alex has no idea what they're for but the sales woman told him they were important. He takes his hands away from her face and instantly hears her tiny gasp.

"When did you do this?"

"When you went to the hair salon this morning."

"You mean after you brought me breakfast in bed?" She turns around in his arms and gives him a sweet kiss.

"Yes." He replies already breathless from her proximity.

"And after we made love?" Another kiss.

"Yeah, that too…" He kisses her again.

"And after I came back from the salon, and got ready for the amazing dinner you invited me to?"

"Yes." Kiss. "Happy 42nd birthday, love." He whispers against her lips.

"I love you, Alex."

"I love you more."

"Then take me to bed." He wastes no time in doing just that.

* * *

 _May 2016…_

"Alex, don't."

"Don't what?"

"You know what. Don't treat me like that." There's a pause and they exchange looks. She can tell he's a little worried about her but it makes her angry anyway. "Like I'm about to break. I won't."

"Ok, Norma." He goes back to reading the newspaper and sipping his morning coffee. He also tries to ignore the way she's slamming the fridge's door and how on edge she seems; as if she were preparing to fight a war instead of making their Saturday breakfast.

"Do you need help?" He offers as a peace offering even if the only thing he did was ask her this morning how was she feeling. She cried herself to sleep last night after a fateful visit to Pineview and the doctor's report on Norman's recovery, or lack thereof. He won't be getting out yet. She had been secretly hoping he could get a permit to spend a few days at home next week.

"No, I can make breakfast myself." As soon as her words leave her mouth Norma realizes how harsh they sound. She turns quickly around towards him to apologize but not before seeing the hurt expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, Alex."

"I'm only trying to help."

"I know. But you can't. No one can't. Not even the doctors." She starts crying now. Silent but fast tears run down her cheeks. "This is my first Mother's Day without him. I miss him."

He stands up and walks over to her, engulfing her in his arms until her cries start to subside.

"I know you're frustrated but I just want you to know I'll be with you every step of the way. I promised you I'll help you. That's what I've been doing and what I'll keep doing. You're not alone in this."

He calms her.

* * *

Sunday, Mother's Day

Morning light is pouring into their room. They lay in bed, arms intertwined around each other as her head rests on his shoulder. She listens to his breathing when suddenly he wakes up, kissing her hairline.

"Are you ready for today?"

"Yes."

Alex is driving. Norma is sitting on the passenger side and he places his hand on her thigh. She stops looking out the window for a moment and turns her face to look into his. She smiles. After a while, they hold hands on top of the console. Instead of Norma going to Pineview alone, today, they walk in together hand in hand.

* * *

 _October 2017…_

Alex wakes up alone in bed. The memories of yesterday and last night assaulting his senses and making his brain relive each moment again. In the morning Norma woke him up singing _Happy Birthday_ to him, and gave him "his first birthday gift" as she called it.

It was a book titled _What I Love About You_ except it was not a book but an empty journal she filled in her own handwriting listing all the many things she loved about him. No one has ever given him a more thoughtful gift in his entire life, ever. He was so touched by it and by all the little, and not so small, stuff Norma mentioned in it. _I love how you put your hand at the small of my back to guide me but never to control me. I love that you protect me, with your actions, your words and your entire body if needed be. Please don't ever die for me (even though I know you would in the blink of an eye).I love that you always kiss me good morning and good night. I love that you know everything about me and still accept me and respect me. I love that you love me._ It went on and on. He almost cried reading it.

He smiles now, his eyes closed, as he remembers every little anecdote she wrote; things he had done for her, moments they have shared together. During the day she cooked him the most delicious meals. They ate dinner early, watched a movie and by 7pm were already in bed. They did not sleep, no. They spent hours loving each other, satiating a hunger that had nothing to do with food. She loved him hard.

* * *

Norma wakes up and instantly feels hungry. She looks at her watch on top of her side table and it reads 3 am. She tries to go back to sleep but she hears her stomach's empty growl. Alex is still sound asleep next to her. She gets up from bed, walking nude in the dark, picking his flannel shirt from the floor where it fell when she took it off him last night and puts it on. She closes a few buttons and inhales the scent of Alex still lingering on it.

When Alex wakes up the first thing he notices is Norma is not next to him on the bed. Then he sees is still dark outside. A quick look at his watch tells him is 3:17 am. Next thing he realizes is he can smell food and that he's hungry. He goes to investigate.

Arriving at the kitchen he leans against the door frame and takes a moment to admire Norma; who is dressed only in his shirt that is a bit too big for her, her long and beautiful legs visible from under it. She's also barefoot and cooking up a storm.

"Hey." Alex announces himself. His voice sounding rough from sleep.

Norma jumps a little at being interrupted in her solitude. Turning her face towards him she takes in his ruffled hair and sleepy expression, bare chest and pajama pants hanging low on his hips, and she feels a little stir low in her belly. She gives him a full appreciative smile.

"Hey! You're awake too."

"Yeah. What on earth are you doing?" He asks while walking towards her.

"Making eggs. I'm starving."

"Were you gonna share?" He asks as he wraps his arms around her waist from behind.

"Yes, actually I was going to bring it upstairs but now that you're here we can eat here."

"How is it possible we're hungry again after everything we ate yesterday?"

"Hmm, maybe because we burned all those calories while we… you know." She coyly suggest as she places a mountain of scrambled eggs onto a big plate.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He feigns ignorance as she turns around and grabs two forks; offering one to him.

"You do know." They smile in complicity at each other.

They keep eating their scrambled eggs, and sharing smiles and kisses, standing by the countertop. Alex takes the orange juice out of the fridge and fills one big glass; they drink from the same one.

After they finish the food, Alex starts kissing her more enthusiastically, placing kisses along her collarbone and neck. Her moans start filling the kitchen as his hands roam over her hips and under the shirt, finding her warm and inviting.

"Again?" She raises her eyebrow at him when she feels him hard against her but he can tell she is entirely pleased by his physical reaction to her.

"What can I say? You feed me well." He answers and she laughs as he lifts her up onto the counter top. She immediately spreads her thighs for him to stand between them.

They effectively burn the just eaten calories too.

* * *

Alex stops reminiscing about last night and sits up in bed, swinging his legs to the side, and just when he was going to reach for his pajama bottoms on the floor, Norma enters the bedroom. She's still wearing his flannel shirt. He feels hungry again, but not for food, when it comes to her he is always a starved man.

He stands up and walks towards her. She takes a long look at her naked beautiful husband and her breathing speeds up.

He reaches behind her and closes the door, effectively trapping her between it and his strong body.

"Good morning." She tries to sound normal but her voice is merely a whisper.

He abstains for a moment from kissing and touching her the way he wants to. He just rests his forehead against hers and places his arms on either side of her head. Those same arms then start slowly moving to her shoulders, down her arms, and they caress her waist and hips. His hands touch lightly the back of her thighs, making her shudder, then go behind her and grab her ass.

When he doesn't move, she tries a joke.

"Getting old on me?" She utters and when he looks at her she is smirking. "You did turn 48 yesterday after all."

He answers by picking her up without any effort. She gasps at the quick movement but wraps her legs around him. She feels him at her entrance and since his arms are busy holding her up, she guides him into her. She lets her weight sink down on him and they both groan at the exquisite sensation, their bodies sore from yesterday, but never too tired, too satiated, or too spent not to want this.

His vigor and his raw need for her combined now into the passionate movements of his body; the way he's flexing his legs and driving his hips into hers. Norma is starting to sweat, so with a little difficulty she takes off the flannel shirt, leaving her body as naked as Alex's. She doesn't want anything between them right now.

She moans and throws her head back. After a while her silence echoes in the room and just before she comes she hears him.

"I love you, Norma."

He's always telling her he loves her. That is her last conscious thought before her pleasure overtakes her. When she comes back to it he's still holding her in his arms, she's still pressed against the door, and he's still hard and pulsing inside her.

She kisses him, holding his face in her hands and letting her tongue play with his, until she feels him start moving again. When he reaches his release it is her whispering in his ear.

"I love you, too. Happy birthday, Alex."

* * *

 _December 2017…_

Alex is balancing at the top of a ladder, Christmas lights in hand, while Norma yells instructions on how and where to place them from below.

"Put them more to the right!" She exclaims from the ground.

"Here?" He obliges and holds the string of tiny lights in his hand waiting for his wife's approval.

"No! No, no. Move them a little to the left." She instructs.

"Here?"

"Yes. But lower, move them a little lower... not that much! Higher!"

"Norma…" He takes a look back at her and she's frowning in concentration at the aforementioned lights as if her life depended on it. "Norma?"

She looks at him, sees his face almost devoid of emotion, and sensing him losing his patience she gives him her most blissful, brightest smile instantly making him smile at her too.

"Yes, that's it. That's exactly where they go." She answers.

Alex shakes his head in amusement and places the final light on the last hook and starts coming down the ladder. Norma is waiting for him and as soon as his feet touch the floor she hugs his side, him quickly wrapping his right arm around her shoulders.

"Are you happy with the lights?"

"Yes!" Her eyes shine as they look up towards the twinkling lights now hanging from the beam of the ceiling.

"Then I'm happy too." He kisses her hair.

* * *

Their first Christmas was a strange one. They had just gotten married, Norman had just been admitted to the institution, and Dylan had just moved away. They spent the holidays at home, not feeling very festive but enjoying each other's company and their newfound intimacy and love. Alex had given Norma a pair of gorgeous earrings on Christmas Day and she felt bad for having forgotten to get him a gift. He assured her that it was not necessary but she still spent the entire day making it up to him with food and sex, and he did not complain once. It was the best gift he had ever received.

Their second Christmas, last year, was a big production. Norma cooked an enormous meal for just six guests, which included Alex and herself, Lila; one of Alex's deputies and her husband David (the couple have no more family in town so Alex invited them and Norma was delighted to have more guests), and Dylan and Emma, who drove to White Pine Bay to spend Christmas Eve and Day with them. They had all gone to visit Norman at Pineview. Norma brought him her home cooked meal and he ate it and talked to them even though his mind seemed to exist now in another reality different to what was truly happening. Norma, as always, held hope that he will be cured someday.

Alex had helped to decorate the house and sneakily had placed mistletoes under every door frame so he could kiss her at any time and any room. She had laughed every single time he pointed up and gave her a kiss. She, of course, reciprocated all his kisses. It was also their first wedding anniversary. Norma had been bold and bought herself a hot piece of lingerie, worn it and presented it to him as his Christmas gift. He had looked at her with eyes full of lust and mouth opened in shock at seeing her wearing something so sinfully erotic. The fact that she accessorized her skimpy, black, sexy mini outfit with a bright red Santa hat only made it even more perfect.

"Are you going to just look?" She had asked with a raised eyebrow and a lopsided smile.

"God, no." He had replied as he proceeded to show her just how much he liked the gift.

* * *

For their second wedding anniversary and third Christmas together this year they wanted something more low key. They've already visited Dylan in Portland and Norman in the facility. One more year. Her sons grow farther away from her but her husband is closer than ever. She doesn't feel alone. Even when she's physically alone she enjoys it. She's her own woman. She raised her sons. She's done her duty. She deserves happiness now.

Using her naked breasts as a pillow, Alex lays his head carefully on her chest, as she runs her hand through his hair making him sigh against her heart. Her heart that is singing with joy. It's New Year's Eve and she's in bed with the love of her life basking in the afterglow of their intimate love. The snow falls outside; dressing the roads, the buildings and the earth in white.

"Alex?"

"Yes?"

"Have I told you lately that you've made me the happiest woman these past two years?"

"I don't think so. Not lately anyway." He replies raising his head from her chest and looking into her eyes.

"Well, you have. Thank you for that. I love you." She states with honesty.

"Norma, I have never been happier than when I'm with you. And I love you, too, so I think we're even." His voice sounding full of emotion too.

They smile. The downstairs wall clock starts striking 12. As the final chime resonates through the house, they embrace and kiss.

* * *

TBC...

 **Happy New Year to all of you! May 2018 brings you all that your heart desires.**


	9. Vows

A/N: Look at these two so in love. I can't get enough of them and the wedding scene was so damn beautiful, right? Ok, so they made vows and here they live by them. Hope you enjoy this one! Thanks for reading and reviewing.

* * *

 _From this day forward, you will belong entirely to each other…_

Norma is sitting alone at the restaurant table, nursing a martini and waiting for her date to arrive. She's wearing a simple little black dress, her hair perfectly coiffed and a darker shade of pink lipstick. She feels sexy and beautiful and only hopes he feels the same way when he sees her.

The waiter comes back to ask her if she wants anything else.

"No, thank you." She answers politely, expecting the waiter to leave quickly only to notice he's still standing next to her. She looks up at him from her chair.

"Do you mind if I ask," he starts. "What is such a beautiful woman doing alone?"

Norma smiles inwardly at the young man's attempt to flirt with her.

"I'm… Miller is it, right?" She asks while looking at his name tag. "I'm waiting for my husband." She explains with a small smile and showing him the ring on her finger.

"Oh I saw the ring, but I was taking my chances." He smiles broadly at her. She looks at him, really looks at him this time; he's very handsome, green eyes, dirty blonde hair and perfect teeth. He's also much younger than her. She feels flattered for a second, then shakes her head and looks down for a second at the napkin in her lap.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you but you have no chance, I'm deeply in love with my husband." She replies sincerely and he takes the answer in good stride smiling appreciatively too.

"You can't blame a man for trying." He states.

"No, you can't." She takes a sip of her martini. At any other moment Norma would be angry at his insistence, but there's something extremely sincere about this guy, and she can tell he meant no disrespect, so she enjoys the banter while she waits for Alex, at least she can kill some time.

"Ah! There he is!" Norma exclaims excitedly and Miller turns his face in the direction of where she is looking. A tallish, brooding, dark haired man is walking towards them.

Alex approaches Norma and kisses her lightly on the lips.

"Sorry I'm late."

"That's ok." She replies. "Miller here was keeping me company."

At that moment Alex takes a look at the younger man, nods his head at him but feels instantly a little bit territorial. As far as he is concerned, regarding Norma any man is standing too close, looking at her for too long. He never says anything of course, he's sure of their love and he trusts her completely, but sometimes he can walk a fine line between feeling a little too proud of being by her side and a little jealous of any other man.

The waiter greets Alex, takes his order for a drink and leaves them.

"So, that guy…" Alex mentions.

"He was being charming." Norma notes with a shrug.

"He was flirting with you." He states.

"That too." She admits with a coquettish smile.

"Who can blame him? You're the sexiest and most beautiful woman in the entire room." He comments without even looking around and Norma feels her heart expand in her chest.

"I'm a little jealous, though." He admits.

"Of what? Of him? Oh Alex, you don't have to be. Ever. I promised from the day of our wedding forward, to belong entirely to you. And I meant it." She purposely adds the last sentence, since both of them know their vows were exchanged in very different circumstances.

The way she looks at him takes his breath away and he suddenly feels foolish for his bout of jealousy. There's no other woman for him either. He also promised to belong entirely to her.

"Till death do us part." He murmurs as he reaches for her hand on top of the table.

"Till death do us part." She repeats as she squeezes his hand in a loving gesture.

The dinner was delicious; the ride back home was even more so since Alex couldn't stop touching Norma. He placed a hand on her knee. That same hand teased her as it traveled all the way from her knee to her pale thigh to between her legs. Her moans only made him bolder. He almost made her come at a traffic light stop.

They think for a moment to just do it in the car as they parked in front of the house, but then decide against it. The walk up the stairs proves to be too much for them and as soon as they fumble with keys and manage to open the front door to the house, they kiss ferociously as they walk, tripping in their desire to move faster. The foreplay in the car was enough. They are so ready.

A few steps up the inside stairwell and Norma suddenly lays down on it, taking him with her. She undoes his belt and fly. He looks down and sees her dress bunched around her waist, her tiny black panties on display between her spread thighs. He's so far gone.

"Norma, baby…"

"Shh… kiss me…" She pleads desperately.

"I don't want to hurt you. The stairs, your back…" He manages to mumble between feverish kisses.

"You won't. I need you… now." She sounds breathless.

He puts one arm behind her to hold off most of his weight off her before pushing her underwear aside and sinking into her as she throws her head back and releases a deep moan. It's all very passionate and desperate; his hard and deep thrusts, her nails pressing into his lower back and ass, her legs high on his hips, his other hand pressed on her clit as she gasps and moans in his ear. They reach their orgasms fast.

Minutes later, they try to catch their breath before even trying to get up and walk the rest of the distance to their bedroom. They're half sitting, half reclining on the stairs, stupid grins on their faces as they look sideways at each other.

"Wow." He's the first to say something.

"I'd say." She giggles and hearing it makes him even happier.

"Come on, let's go to bed." She adds standing up and making him marvel at her stamina. He can barely walk. She'll be the death of him.

Alex manages to catch up with her on the hallway and grabs her arm, making her stop and face him.

"I love you, Norma. I belong to you. You belong to me." He says as he frames her face with his hands.

"I love you, too, Alex. We belong entirely to each other."

They share a soft, loving kiss and walk hand in hand to their bed.

* * *

 _Together in mind, together in heart, together in soul for all eternity…_

Alex throws a gigantic bag of chips in the shopping cart. Norma raises her eyebrow at him in disapproval.

"I need chips to watch the football game."

"Whatever. It's your stomach."

They keep going down the aisles of the supermarket. Alex grabs some more items. Norma protests when something is too salty, too sugary or too processed. She indulges in certain foods now and then too, but her eating habits are decidedly healthier than Alex's.

"Alex, I can make that from scratch with fresh ingredients."

"Okay, okay. Whatever you say."

"You'll thank me later. When you're still healthy when you're old and grey."

She smiles fondly at him, imagining how he'll look when he's older. He walks a few steps closer to her and kisses her cheek.

"I love when you take care of me."

They walk over the fridges area. Norma places a quart of ice cream in the cart. Alex grabs a can of whipped cream and tosses it in the cart too.

"That's a lot of sugar in there."

"You won't protest when I eat it off your body." Alex whispers in her ear and Norma's eyes widen.

He chuckles at her reaction.

"Come on," Alex calls as he walks down the lane. "Let's get fruits."

Norma recovers and joins him at the fruits display. She inspects some grapes and apples. Alex brings a plate with oranges cut in halves. Somebody thought in good decorative taste to add a maraschino cherry in the middle of each orange half.

"Let's get these; they look like your boobs."

"Alex! What are you talking about?"

"These oranges look like your boobs."

"My breasts do not look like fruit."

"They do."

She laughs and shakes her head. What has gotten into him today with his need to imagine her body covered in whipped cream and comparing her body parts to fruits?

"There's another part of your anatomy that _also_ looks like a fruit. And I want to get home so I can eat all of your goods." He murmurs close to her ear and she just about lost it then and there; her whole body getting goose bumps and a twitch setting low in her belly. She swallowed hard and made quick work on finishing their shopping for the day; rapidly maneuvering the cart along the lanes and on to the cashier.

He kissed her in the parking lot, pressed her against the car door, in view of anyone who cared to look at them. It was Saturday, early afternoon, but Norma didn't care at this point who saw them or not. She wanted her husband and he definitely wanted her too.

They don't know how they made it to the house, or to their bed, but they fed off each other's bodies like they were starving. Alex poured whipped cream on Norma's breasts and she laughed. Her laughter died to give way to moans as he licked it all off until he was sucking on her flesh and her nipples. When he went down on her and mentioned that she tasted better than any fruit she almost died of pleasure. The few times he had talked dirty during sex she had liked it, and this was not the exception. He licked and sucked her until she forgot her own name.

Now in the calmness of the afterglow, Norma is laying half on top of him, her head propped up on one arm to be able to look at him.

"Sex had never been like this for me before; happy, fun, so damn good!" She starts talking while touching his chest hair with her right hand.

"I mean, I've had good sex before. Not all was bad. But… you've created a monster. I can't get enough of you." She confesses to him.

"I will never get enough of you." He replies and she can tell he's speaking truthfully. "And, anyway, if that monster is the naked woman on top of me… Then I love my monster." She slaps his chest and they both laugh at his words. The whole day has been sexy and joyful, even when buying groceries and they wouldn't have it any other way.

"Just so you know, is not all about the good sex. I've never felt closer in mind, heart and soul from anybody like I do with you." Norma affirms.

"I feel the same. I love you. For all eternity."

She kisses him with all the love she can pour into a kiss.

* * *

 _Alexander/Norma do you take this woman/man to be your lawfully wedded wife/husband…_

"Alex, I can't believe you're doing this!"

"Doing what?"

"You're cheating on me!"

"No, I'm not." He's trying to look innocent but she's not buying it.

"Yes, you are."

"If you're going to accuse me, where is your proof?" He's enjoying taunting her; but is careful not to annoy her too much; Norma can go from amused to angry in a second.

"The fact that you can't make that pass!" She points at the table to the board game they're currently playing.

"How so?" He goes on; a smile on his lips.

"You can't jump diagonally. You can only move your pieces in a straight line." She explains again.

"How boring."

"Well, those are the rules."

"Can't you break the rules for your husband?" He offers as he raises his eyebrows at her.

"No, maybe you can try to follow the rules of the game. For your wife."

"I'd rather play other games with my wife right now."

"You're not going to get out of this one with sex." She warns.

"I'm not?"

"No."

They like playing this game. Not the board game per se, but the game of trying to do anything around the house during the evenings, or on weekends, and not leading straight to sex. They try. They never win. They watch movies, they play cards, board games, clean together, cook together (or Norma tries to teach him how to cook), do laundry together… and they enjoy it all, simple and mundane and domestic ways to fill their time, there's no kids or pets to care for, it's just them. Their love and lust for one another fill their days. They enjoy playing their little game.

"I'm just saying, I think I can move this piece here…" He moves his blue chip on the board, does an intricate maneuver of about six jumps, and places it triumphantly on his chosen spot. "And it looks good there."

"That's not how the game works." Norma punctuates each word slowly and raises an eyebrow at him. "I'm going to punish you for this."

"Oh yeah? What do you have in mind?" He asks already excited.

She moves from her spot on the other side of the coffee table and crawls over to him. Norma can see his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows deeply. She kneels in front of him and then straddles him. Alex is quick at putting his hands on her hips just in time to hold on for dear life as she kisses the life out of him.

Norma grinds her hips against him just a few times and that is enough to feel him hard against her. She releases his mouth, placing a quick kiss on the tip of his nose, and stands up.

"I'm going to take a shower." She announces and looks devilishly down at him.

He just opens his mouth in mock horror.

"I'll get you for this." He warns her.

"That'll teach you to play fair." She winks at him and turns around.

Fifteen minutes later, Alex enters the bedroom carrying a bucket of ice in his hands. He places it on the end table next to their bed. Norma is already lying in bed reading a book.

"What's that for?" She's intrigued as soon as she sees what he brought.

"Uh, just something…" He gets in bed, and moves like a graceful panther on top of her, taking the book from her hands and kissing her all in one swift motion. She reciprocates the kiss with all of her: arms going around him, mouth opening and sighs escaping her throat. She's had enough of teasing him too and now it's time to end their mutual torture.

"It's payback time." Alex utters against her parted lips.

"Payback for what?"

"For leaving me with blue balls."

"Alex, blue balls don't exist."

"I know."

She rolls her eyes at him.

They kiss; his tongue going past her lips to meet hers. A sigh, a bite, a moan. She sits briefly so Alex can rid her of her white satin nightgown and she falls back on the bed. He lets his hands travel down her collarbone, past the peaks of her nipples and her stomach. He eyes the simple, white, satin panties she is wearing tonight. He grabs a big ice cube from the ice bucket and sucks on it. Norma's eyes widen when she sees he's moving said ice cube to her lower belly. Her muscles tremble as the coldness hits her exposed skin. She gasps.

Alex traces the band of her underwear with the ice cube, enjoying how her lower belly muscles shake slightly. He lets one drop fall into her belly button and sucks on it.

"Alex…"

He grabs the edges of her panties, and she raises her hips, allowing him space to remove them. He parts her legs, her thighs are visibly shaking. He positions himself between her spread legs, sucks on the ice cube, and then sucks on her. Her hips elevate off the bed but he releases her quickly. Instead, he teases her endlessly, sucking on her with his hot tongue, and placing the ice cube directly on her. She cries out the first time the ice touches her most sensitive spot.

Ice, tongue, ice, tongue, ice, tongue… slowly until she is pleading for him to stop, or never stop. She's not sure anymore. She comes against his mouth and he savors every second she's trembling against his tongue and lips.

When she has calmed down a bit, although still breathing hard and shaking, he crawls up her body allowing her to feel how aroused he is, how hard he is for her, how much he needs her.

"You know I will never cheat on you, don't you? I mean, aside from the board game." He asks.

"I know. I don't like torturing you, either." She assures him as she rubs her center into his hardness, begging him wordlessly to enter her already.

"You're torturing me right now."

"You tortured me endlessly with that ice cube."

"I think you enjoyed that immensely."

"I did."

She pushes her hand down between them and grabs him, guiding him into her entrance and keeping him there.

"Alex, you're my lawfully wedded husband, my lover, my friend…"

"Yes, and you are mine."

"Alex, please get inside me now."

He does. They moan. They always win at their little love game.

* * *

 _Do you promise to love, honor, and protect her/him in sickness and in health till death do you part?..._

Norma is sick. She has a sore throat and a cold and she has never felt more miserable.

"Hey, baby." Alex sweetly calls her by his pet name for her as he brings her a mug of hot tea and her meds from the kitchen. He sits next to her in the living room's sofa.

She wipes her red nose into a tissue, swallows her medicine and drinks her tea.

"Since we can't go out tonight, let's watch a movie." He offers.

"It's your fault!" She cries out.

"What is my fault?"

"It was your bright idea to stick your tongue down my throat the other day when you were sneezing and coughing. Now I'm sick!" She wails.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I rarely get sick. I never thought I could make you sick. If I knew, then I never would've kissed you. I don't want to ever hurt you or make you sick on purpose." His tone was so sincere that she felt bad for having yelled at him, but she was still angry that he made her sick. She hated being sick.

"I hate being sick." She admits out loud.

"Yeah, I can tell." He chuckles and she glares at him.

"Come on," he says while he wraps his strong arms around her. She tucks her legs more comfortably under her and he fixes the blanket around both of them. She snuggles into his chest.

After a few minutes watching a movie, she breaks the silence.

"Have I been a bad patient?" She asks in a low voice.

"You've been a nightmare." He answers truthfully and places a kiss to the top of her head.

"You've loved every minute of it." She sassily replies, hugging him.

"I will take care of you in sickness and in health."

"I will too."

"Till death do you part?"

"Till death do us part."

* * *

TBC…

PS. Nothing to worry here. They're alive and will be in my story. This is just their vow as it was.


End file.
